External Innovation Director

Department: Solution & Innovation buinsess
Position: External Innovation Director
Accountable to: R&D Head
Effective Date: 2026.02.12

Job Summary:
- Translate global VMS (Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements) trends, new dosage forms, and consumer insights into actionable business opportunities and competitive advantages.
- Collaborate with the commercial team to understand consumers, identify potential food forms in each key market, and build an innovation pipeline.
- Partner with third parties or FMCG companies to develop new dosage forms.
- Develop a robust moat strategy and accumulate know-how for each food dosage form.
- Enhance user experience for the developed dosage forms.
- Lead end-to-end project management from concept through to launch of new food dosage forms.

Responsibilities / Daily Tasks:
- Monitor and analyze global VMS trends, emerging dosage forms, new technologies, and consumer insights to identify actionable business opportunities and maintain competitive advantage.
- Collaborate with the commercial team to understand consumer needs, map them to potential food forms across key markets, and build an innovation pipeline.
- Manage partnerships with third-party vendors or FMCG companies to co-develop and validate new dosage forms.
- Design and implement a robust business moat strategy, capturing critical know-how and intellectual property for each food dosage form.
- Lead efforts to optimize user experience and usability for developed dosage forms.
- Drive end-to-end project management, including concept ideation, feasibility assessments, development, testing, regulatory considerations, and successful launch of new food dosage forms.
- Define project milestones, timelines, budgets, and resource plans; monitor progress and adjust plans as needed.
- Coordinate cross-functional teams (R&D, regulatory, marketing, supply chain, QA) to ensure integrated execution.
- Maintain strong vendor relationships, negotiate agreements, and manage risk throughout development programs.
- Document learnings and build internal know-how repositories to support scalable replication across markets.

Qualifications:

Education and Age:
- Bachelor’s degree or above in Food Science, Nutrition, Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, or related fields.
- Age: typically 35–45 years old; male candidates in good condition may be considered up to 50.

Work Experience:
- More than 10 years of product R&D experience in FMCG food & beverage companies or equivalent application experience in ingredients B2B.
- At least 3 years of team leadership experience.
- No less than 6 years of hands-on R&D practice.
- At least 3 years of project management experience.
- Proven hands-on and managerial experience in new product development projects.

Competencies and Qualities:
- Open mindset and innovative thinking with the ability to learn rapidly, adapt to change, and a proactive, curious attitude toward new domains.
- Strong communication and coordination skills.
- Straightforward, collaborative, positive work attitude; a track record of professional integrity.
- Excellent verbal and written English; able to use English as a working language.

Business Travel:
- Willingness to travel internationally and domestically: at least 2 weeks per month.

Key Stakeholders:
- Internal: cross-functional teams including Business Development, Marketing, Supply Chain and Procurement, Quality, Finance, and R&D.
- External: co-manufacturers, third parties (e.g., flavor houses, ingredients application labs).