Segment : Royal Canin

Type of contract : Permanent

Location : Aimargues (Campus) near Montpellier, France

As the Global Food Technology Specialist, you will be at the forefront of shaping the future of Royal Canin by leading the introduction of innovative raw materials, processes, and products across a dynamic international network of over 15 manufacturing sites.

You will serve as the driving force behind Royal Canin’s R&D process and product leadership, expertly evaluating and mitigating industrialization risks to ensure the seamless and successful rollout of groundbreaking innovations.

The Global Food Technology Specialist will be pivotal in defining and developing robust R&D specifications that set the standard for excellence in manufacturing—both for existing Petfood technologies and pioneering new advancements. This encompasses the full spectrum of specifications, from raw material processing and product quality to process flow, sequence, and equipment parameter settings, empowering our teams to deliver superior products that enrich the lives of pets worldwide.

What profile we are looking for:

• B.S. or M.S. in in a relevant technical or scientific discipline like Food Science/Technology, Biological, Chemical, Engineering sciences)

• Demonstrated >10 years industry experience in petfood and/or food technology development, process & product scale-up and/or implementation as R&D engineer or Quality & Food Safety Engineer

• Lean 6-Sigma Green belt or Black belt certification is a plus

• Working in a company with multicultural and international features

• Experience or interest in nutrition within the food environment will be considered an asset for this position.

What will be your key responsibilities:

• Lead the Global Industrialization of new petfood products :

Take ownership of the industrialization process for petfood products within Royal Canin’s innovation pipeline. Manage the scale-up activities across more than 15 manufacturing sites worldwide, ensuring smooth transition from R&D prototypes to full production. Consolidate feedback from manufacturing sites to refine process and product specifications. Conduct thorough risk assessments during the industrialization phases to identify potential challenges and mitigate them proactively. Lead the definition and validation of final specifications to guarantee robust, reproducible, and high-quality production outcomes. Oversee the successful execution of first production runs by coordinating cross-functional teams and managing industrialization risks.

• Develop, Define and Maintain R&D Specifications of petfood products:

Define, write, and update comprehensive process and product specifications related to petfood technology. This includes specifications for raw material processing, product quality attributes, process flows and equipment parameters settings. Ensure these specifications cover existing of manufacturing standards as well as upgrades and new technologies to support ongoing innovation and to improve overall product quality.

• Define Process and Product Validation requirements supporting new equipment or new production lines commissioning

Define process and product validation for new equipment and production lines across the manufacturing network, working with Engineering, Quality & Food Safety and R&D teams. Plan resources and timing, develop training, and ensure validation protocols are up to date. Support project handovers to guarantee all validation requirements are met. Continuously improve validation protocols based on feedback and evolving standards.

• Drive Cross-Functional Collaboration and Manage knowledge related to product & process

Knowledge Collaborate closely with central R&D teams and regional process/product engineers to ensure alignment of industrialization strategies and technical requirements. Facilitate knowledge sharing and training initiatives to strengthen capabilities across global and regional teams, promoting consistent application of best practices. Establish and maintain a comprehensive knowledge management system focused on petfood product and technology related, including detailed documentation of specifications and best practices.

• Apply Problem Solving and Statistical Process Control (SPC)

Demonstrate the ability to effectively navigate complex technical and operational challenges by applying structured problem-solving methodologies. Proactively utilizes statistical process control (SPC) tools to monitor, analyze, and optimize manufacturing processes.

What can you expect from Mars?

• You will work in a multicultural environment (more than 40 nationalities) and where your dog will be welcomed by more than 100 other Associates’ dogs at the office! 

• You will work in a unique campus, which gathers more than 800 Associates working for: the international HQ, the French subsidiary, two laboratories, a kennel and a cattery with more than 200 cats & dogs, and finally the most important factory of the Royal Canin group 

Royal Canin's CSR commitments, to build a better world for tomorrow:

• Since 2015, no waste to landfill is made by the 16 Royal Canin factories in the world

• All Royal Canin products manufactured in Europe are ISO 14001 certified from design to factory gate

• Since 2017, Royal Canin has supported the K-DOG program of the Curie Institute, which trains dogs to detect breast cancer via olfaction.

• A unique and ideal work environment to become the leader in health through nutrition for cats and dogs!

• You will evolve in the heart of an innovative production plant that will challenge you, on a daily basis