Head of Product Management Confectionery

Bühler seeks a Head of Product Management for Confectionery in Reichshof to lead portfolio strategy, drive growth, and manage a high-performing team in a hybrid role.

The company is looking for a strategic leader to define and execute the product strategy for its global solution portfolio, encompassing equipment, automation, and digital services. This role serves as the central link between research and development, sales, and project execution, ensuring that offerings align with market demands and contribute to profitable expansion. The successful candidate will guide a multidisciplinary team while acting as the primary ambassador for the brand and its value propositions.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement the overarching product strategy and lifecycle management for the global portfolio, including equipment, automation, and digital services.
• Develop and manage the solution portfolio in alignment with the five-year strategic cycle, covering strategy definition and lifecycle execution.
• Provide market intelligence on global trends, competitor activities, technologies, and services to identify future business opportunities.
• Monitor portfolio performance and competitiveness to ensure full process solutions remain viable in bean-to-bar and grain-to-snack sectors.
• Create market-centric business plans, including conceptual requests for new R&D projects and strategic partnerships.
• Establish and maintain an M&A radar in collaboration with adjacent business units and Group Business Development.
• Develop compelling value propositions and storytelling assets to support global sales efforts across all communication channels.
• Act as the owner and brand ambassador for the solution portfolio, inspiring stakeholders with passion and dedication.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a multi-disciplinary team with international reporting lines, fostering a high-performance culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Engineering, Process Technology, or Business Administration.
• Solid technical understanding in mechanical engineering, automation, or digital solutions, combined with strong business acumen in sales or marketing.
• Good knowledge of business processes and strong project management capabilities.
• Experience in a similar position with a proven track record in the industrial investment goods industry.
• Ability to think creatively, work closely with global stakeholders, and operate effectively in a multi-dimensional matrix organization.
• Structured, analytical, and technically well-founded working method, with proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint.
• Entrepreneurial and responsible mindset, high integrity, resilience, and willingness to go the extra mile.
• Strong communication skills in English and German, with the ability to network and work with diverse cultural stakeholders.
• Proven experience in managing and developing teams.

Nice to have

• Profound experience in the confectionery industry, or any food or similar industry, is a big plus.

What the company offers

• 30 days of vacation per year.
• Company pension scheme or capital accumulation benefits.
• Canteen with healthy meal options at fair prices.
• Career and personal development through videos, e-learnings, classroom trainings, and webinars.
• Leadership development programs designed to support our people leaders at every stage of the leadership journey.
• Flexible working options and a hybrid working model where positions allow.

About the company

Bühler develops solutions that unlock sustainable business opportunities in the global food, feed, and mobility industries. The company aims to balance humanity, nature, and the economy in every decision, striving to create innovations for a better world with a focus on healthy, safe, and sustainable solutions. Two billion people eat food every day that was produced with Bühler equipment, and one billion people drive vehicles whose parts were manufactured with their machines. The company teams up with customers, start-ups, multinationals, and academia to accelerate impact together.

• Balancing humanity, nature, and the economy in every decision.
• Creating innovations for a better world with a focus on healthy, safe, and sustainable solutions.
• Collaborating with customers, start-ups, multinationals, and academia to accelerate impact.