Job Description:

Solution Designer (H/F/X)Segment : Royal CaninType of contract : PermanentLocation : Aimargues near Montpellier, France

To support Royal Canin to become a Health through Nutrition Company, R&D team has an ambition : Step change the longevity and quality of life of cats and dogs ​by offering personalized, proactive, predictive and participatory health through nutrition solutions.

Solution Designer will contribute to R&D ambition by designing and validating integrated health value propositions (health & nutrition, diagnostic & monitoring and services).

Solution Designer is accountable to ensure solution design and lead globally technical development (incorporating all constraints that need to be filled to ensure deployment) of new Integrated health value propositions (health & nutrition, diagnostic & monitoring and services) in support to the global innovation strategy.

A solution globally designed is deployable in all blocks taking into account technical and regulatory feasibility in all blocks.

The scope includes new solutions specifically designed for dogs and cats across the brands of Royal Canin and Eukanuba, and for the three demand models (Vet & Pro or Healthy Pets or D2C) => scope will be clarified in final job description according to reporting line but we will keep resources allocation flexibility across VCM.

What profile we are looking for:

MSc’S  in food-processing, biology or chemistry with a specialization adapted to the team’s objectives (petfood, chemistry, food safety, etc.).

FEF knowledge

Position with numerous interfaces demanding transversal management practices and good communication skills.

Ability to adapt and manage multiple ongoing projects.

Knowledge in Nutrition is an asset.

5 years or more, experience in managing complex projects in a changing environment

English is fluent.

What will be your key responsibilities:

Generate insights and opportunities in Pre-quest

The Solution Designer brings added value to our offer by shaping our innovations for cats and dogs in order to also answer to customers and pet owners’ needs.

Therefore, the Solution Designer:

Follows market technical trends

Collects, with CMI and/or CTI, pain points from customers and pet owners’ needs

Lead Design thinking (using FEF process) with demand innovation teams

Explore potential answers to those pain points with internal capabilities (pilot trials, GIC…) or with external Co manufacturers, start-ups

Influence 360° New Product Request from Demand Innovation Team focusing on value creation by leveraging above explorations

Design Integrated health value propositions (all techno + packaging), Diagnostic & Monitoring tools and Services

The Solution Designer is accountable of the global technical feasibility OTIF for new integrated health solutions in QuEST.

The solution designer is responsible of the Quest deliverable up to DB, in particular owns the Product and packaging design brief.

At DB, the solution designer hands over the technical responsibility to the product developer, but remains accountable, for example in case some elements of the Product and Pack design brief cannot be met.

Therefore, the Solution Designer:

Facilitates the handover from Research to Design teams by :

*Supporting the researcher in defining the nutritional vehicle used for the Research study to ease transferability

* Participate to the Technical Risk Assessment at gate 5 to evaluate risks of deployment / scale up

Partner with Applied Algorithms team to leverage Datas, AI and Analytics to design integrated health value propositions

Leverage External Partnership (e.g. (bio)tech, start-ups, external manufacturers)

Include End to End Sustainability impact in Solution Design

Interacts closely with Marketing and Regulatory teams (Global, Regional and Local) to define the project brief content (including Scope, CSFs and targets) and its feasibility all over the world

Is Responsible of consistency of Solution Design with claims in collaboration with Scientific Affairs team (highlighted benefits)

Define the content of the product and packaging design brief, ensuring all criterias and conditions required for the product to perform with pets and pets owners are listed, and aligns it with the demand team

For nutritional solutions, with the support of Product Developer:

Aligns and builds with scientific support the formulation logic for new products (including all constraints and insights) and work with the formulation team to propose formulas

Leads the Formula Logic Review with all stakeholders to guarantee that the project team is aligned and to ensure we reach the CSF of the project brief.

Ensures that raw materials and equipments will be ready to use. And if necessary, ensure that adaptation has been prepared in case of dead end, compliant with the project brief CSF.

Defines qualification criteria and physical specifications for the new product with the project team (KQA)

In collaboration with Solution validation team, organizes the Pilot & industrial trials on major blocks, the sampling to feed the Product Performance requests and defines with them and Q&FS the KQA (Key Quality Attributes) of the product.

Check consistency of development with the current product portfolio (in different regions)

For D&M tools or services, with support of D&M Developer and Applied algorithms team

Deliver the Diagnostics & Services preliminary assessment studies

Deploy and Follow Diagnostics & Monitoring preliminary assessment studies

Develop and Maintain relationships with external partners

Technical lead of the Solution Design inside R&D and with global functions

The Solution Designer leads and animates technical workstream within the R&D and with Global functions, for Innovation projects from QuEST.

Therefore, the Solution Designer with the support of Product Developer :

Leads and coordinate with all teams the Technical risk analysis for the Project

Initiates with Global and local Regulatory teams the Regulatory Assessment of the ingredients to ensure they can be used in the product with its claim wordings.

Ensures the technical representation of Projects during technical and decision forum (GPMR, Project Steering Committee…) in collaboration with Global Project Managers

Can take part as Speaker during Launching events thanks to their recognised functional expertise 

Support Developers to help them to navigate in projects 

Supports technical competencies on Nutrition, Food Science and Technology

Mentors on projects about formal & unformal channels to get things done

Coaches on global Innovation process

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 

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