R&D Director - Turkey & Central Europe Cluster Lead
On-siteIstanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
Job Summary
Align R&D capabilities, resources, and budgets to deliver business priorities and outcomes across Turkey, Central Europe, and Ukraine Dairy. Coordinate with counterparts for other clusters to ensure scale use of Create/Lift & Shift initiatives. Prioritize BU programs for R&D support, leading tradeoffs to enable successful delivery of the Annual Operating Plan. Represent R&D at governance forums to ensure priorities are understood, integrated, and resourced while balancing local market needs with global objectives. Coach and develop team leaders to strengthen succession pipelines and foster a one-team culture across complex, multicultural environments.
Required Qualifications
- Degree in Food Science & Technology (BSc/MSc/PhD)
- Strong leadership experience across R&D in multinational environments
- Deep expertise in operational R&D (quality, compliance, manufacturing support)
- Strong strategic, commercial, and stakeholder influencing capability
- Proven track record in capability development and people leadership
- Ability to lead across complex, multicultural, matrixed environments
- Strategic thinking and ability to balance long‐ and short‐term priorities
- Strong technical credibility and influence across functions and Europe‐wide teams
- High learning agility, insight‐led decision‐making, and forward‐looking innovation mindset
- Leadership resilience, adaptability, and ability to guide teams through complexity and change
- Ability to create inclusive environments that support challenge, collaboration, and growth
Desired Qualifications
- Experience supporting or leading dairy category R&D (preferred)
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