Global Head of Science & Technology

Job Description:

Location: Oud-beijerland

Segment: Mars Food Nutrition

Reports To: Vice President, Global RD – Mars Food Nutrition

About Mars Food Nutrition

At Mars Food Nutrition, we are dedicated to our purpose: Better Food Today. A Better World Tomorrow. We are a segment of Mars, Incorporated, proud to produce some of the worlds most beloved and iconic brands, includingBens Original™,Dolmio®,Tasty Bite®,MasterFoods™, andKevin’s Natural Foods. Our mission is to scale our global business by delivering foods that areTasty, Accessible, and Healthy.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a visionaryGlobal Head of Science Technology (ST) to join our executive RD leadership team. In this role, you will be the primary bridge between cutting-edge scientific discovery and commercial business growth. You will shape and execute our global ST strategy over a 1-to-5 year horizon, translating complex science into scalable, proprietary technology platforms that deliver our short, medium, and long-term business objectives.

As a key member of theMars Science Leadership Team (MSLT), you will also collaborate across our sister segments (such as Snacking and Petcare) to shape enterprise-wide scientific strategies and champion our future technical talent pipeline.

What are your key responsibilities?

• Drive the ST Strategy: Define and execute a 1-5 year technology roadmap that directly supports our business growth and scales our portfolio of Tasty, Accessible, and Healthy food solutions.
• Lead Pipeline Scale-Up: Oversee the end-to-end ST pipeline from proof-of-concept to commercial hand-off. Take operational ownership of our global RD labs and pilot plant facilities to ensure seamless scale-up to global factories.
• Global Process Standardization: Govern global process specifications and partner with Global Engineering to standardize technologies across our global manufacturing sites.
• Pilot Plant Scale-Up Governance: Provide operational leadership for global RD labs and pilot facilities, ensuring safe and seamless technical scale-up.
• Open Innovation Ecosystem: Build strategic relationships with universities, research institutes, suppliers, and start-ups to accelerate proprietary scientific breakthroughs.
• IP Protection: Proactively safeguard and patent breakthrough technologies, securing our global freedom to operate.
• Inspire and Develop Talent: Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing, diverse global team of scientists and process engineers, preparing the capability pipeline for our future RD needs.

What are we looking for?

• Education: Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemical/Process Engineering, or a closely related scientific discipline.
• FMCG Track Record: 15 years of progressive RD leadership experience in a global fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) or food ingredients environment.
• Commercialization Success: Proven experience taking proprietary food technologies from early-stage discovery to successful, large-scale commercialization in complex global manufacturing environments.
• Travel: Ability to travel globally 20% to 30% of the time.
• Strategic Business Acumen: You know how to translate scientific opportunities into clear growth strategies, balancing long-term exploratory pipelines with short-term business deliverables.
• Technical Mastery: You bring expertise and knowledge in food chemistry, scale-up methodologies, and advanced process engineering.
• Innovation Leadership: You create an environment that encourages creativity and experimentation, driving breakthrough innovation while managing execution excellence. You champion external collaboration and open innovation.
• Scientific Communication: You are a highly effective communicator who can build deep, strategic relationships with external research partners and easily explain complex science to non-technical business partners.
• People Leadership: You have a passion for mentoring and developing multidisciplinary teams, fostering a collaborative culture of scientific excellence and continuous learning

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• A strong focus on learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.