Baking Center Manager

Key responsibilities

Manage the local Baking Center team

• training & baking skill development
• continuous evaluation and optimization of the performance & personal efficiency (reporting, technical competencies, involvement) of the team
• set & evaluate annual objectives for the team members (annual review)
• be involved in salary reviews & negotiations
• participate to the recruitment of new Baking Center staff or technologist for the sales team

Manage the local Baking Center activities

• operative (short-term) and strategic (long-term) planning of the Baking Center activities & its resources
• budget responsibility (OPEX & CAPEX, preparation & monitoring)
• suggest (technical) investments or replacements when needed
• receive and operate requests of the other departments (e.g., Marketing, Sales, …) or customers & transfer these requests into planning & activities
• collect & evaluate feedback from team members, colleagues, and customers to continuously improve the quality of the activities

Technical development and services

• manage technical support organization for internal & external customers (troubleshooting, product launches, starting help, recipe creation)
• if requested visit customers in their facilities to provide technical assistance
• participate & conduct technical seminars and trainings
• prepare cost-in-use and recipe cost calculations
• quality control in collaboration with quality management

Market observation & trends monitoring

• CRM – report & evaluate relevant customer information (observed during visits or receptions) to sales team and Regional BC Manager
• monitoring of changes in consumer habits
• observe and report competitor’s activities
• providing & organizing samples of new competitor’s products to be benchmarked
• reporting this information within his/her organization

New Product Development & Innovation

• suggest possible evolutions of local product range & marketing mix in accordance with market trends, innovations, customer & consumer needs
• regular exchange with & participation in regional networks & communities (APAC BINK) to gather information about new regional & international products & services (LINT <-> APAC <-> subsidiaries)
• in case of no local product development, organize regular contact with production plants & formulation centers to get to know about new locally developed products & services (min. once per year with the main collaborators)
• organize & conduct baking trials on these new products

Reporting

• about Baking Center activities (visits, receptions, trainings, customer relation, market observations, projects & baking trials) to…
  • to local line manager according to local interval & procedures
  • to Regional BC Coordinator on quarterly basis
• collect & report the BC KPI according to LINT procedure monthly

Other responsibilities:

• supervise the proper technical condition of the Baking Center facility and equipment
• contact with authorities and enforcement of the relevant legal provisions
• maintain contacts with third parties (e.g. institutes, raw materials suppliers, associations, equipment producers, know-how suppliers, educational institutions, …)
• adherence to hygienic and safety rules

Education and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, cereal science etc. Master, PhD preferred (everything in combination with bakery education/experience)
• Minimum 5 years experience with working in leading position in a bakery or a comparable industry
• Fluent English in writing and speaking

Knowledge

• Management – specialist
• Finance – junior
• Development – junior
• Sensory Analysis – junior
• Baking Theory – specialist
• Baking Practice – specialist
• Project Management – specialist
• Client Relation – specialist
• Training skills – specialist

Technical skills

• managing skills and interest to drive a team on a short term horizon (baking test requests, visit requests, reception requests, …) and medium term horizon (market observation, product validation & development, new raw material and technology identification, …)
• baking experience
• management including HR, projects, materials and finance
• ability to operate reporting in accordance with responsibility in these domains
• customer orientation (representation of Lesaffre’s interest in the bakeries and of the bakers in the Lesaffre organization)
• planning and organization experience regarding events (baking tests, demonstrations, …), projects and staff while respecting resources, the expected deliverables and deadlines
• internal and external networking skills
• communication skills to be comfortable in communicating with multi-disciplinary interlocutors in national and English language

Managerial & Behavioral Skills

• Coach – Able to communicate, promotes career development, encourages initiative, promotes team spirit, works alongside team, shows respect, able to listen and to show empathy
• Pioneer – Able to encourage innovation, is open to change/new ideas
• Visionary – Able to motivate teams by working on meaningful projects
• Entrepreneur – Able to create and organize a team, encourages responsibility, able to make decisions, able to undertake proactive and responsive actions
• Achiever – Able to drive performance, able to work in the field, sets high targets for self and team, shows enthusiasm and competitive spirit
• Global Company Player – Able to make decisions, promotes cooperation, is customer oriented and ensures
• top quality service, able to work with others on cross-functional projects, shows transparency and Group spirit
• Manager – Is stable and open-minded, strives for personal development

Other Skills & Knowledge

• Sense for accuracy and details (meticulous)
• Strong organization and communication skills
• Open minded and flexible
• Free thinking
• Analytical skills
• Systematic
• Wide range of knowledge
• Creativity

Lesaffre Values

Know, understand and demonstrate the Lesaffre values of

• TRUST,
• ENTREPRENEURSHIP,
• PASSION,
• HUMILITY, AND
• RESPECT with work colleagues and business partners.