Overview

The Zurich-based Barry Callebaut Group is the world’s leading manufacturer of chocolate and cocoa products – from sourcing and processing cocoa beans to producing the finest chocolates, including chocolate fillings, decorations and compounds. The Group runs more than 60 production facilities worldwide and employs a diverse and dedicated global workforce of more than 13,000 people. The Barry Callebaut Group serves the entire food industry, from industrial food manufacturers to artisanal and professional users of chocolate, such as chocolatiers, pastry chefs, bakers, hotels, restaurants or caterers. The global brands catering to the specific needs of these Gourmet customers are Callebaut® and Cacao Barry®, Carma® and the decorations specialist Mona Lisa®. The Barry Callebaut Group is committed to make sustainable chocolate the norm to help ensure future supplies of cocoa and improve farmer livelihoods. It supports the Cocoa Horizons Foundation in its goal to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.

Barry Callebaut Digital (BC Digital) is on a mission to lead the digital revolution in the chocolate industry, and we're looking for an Innovation Manager, to help us build a foundation to drive and foster innovation across our operations at Barry Callebaut. Reporting to the Head of Innovation, Automation & AI, your focus will lie on scouting and prototyping innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence and other state-of-the art technologies. While closely collaborating with business stakeholders, you will conduct research, market analysis and trend monitoring to identify emerging opportunities and disruptive technologies, to unlock customer growth opportunities.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES & SCOPE

• Conduct research, market analysis and trend scouting/monitoring to identify emerging opportunities and disruptive technologies e.g. Generative AI
• Support Innovation, Automation & AI activities to build up innovative solutioning capabilities with an unconstrained view from ideation to use case selection to prototyping
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to identify areas of our business to uplift through advanced technology use cases (e.g. GenAI, process automation)
• Collaborate with stakeholders from our operative business functions to understand their business problems and identify innovative solutions to uplift our operative processes
• Collaborate with BC Digital stakeholders to support the transition of prototypes into production and the subsequent scaling phase
• Foster a culture of innovation within Barry Callebaut by promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration across teams Manage relationships with external partners, including technology providers, startups, and research institutions
• Prepare and present reports on innovation activities, findings, and recommendations to senior management
• Support business initiatives / projects around innovation, automation & AI

Work Location: Hyderabad

ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE & KNOWLEDGE / TECHNICAL OR FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

• minimum of 7 years of experience Extensive experience in research, market analysis and trend monitoring in a comparable role.
• Good knowledge of Generative AI and ML models
• Comprehensive understanding of business operations from both a business and digital perspective incl. related digital trends
• Deep understanding of processes and technologies concerning newest developments around Innovation, Automation & AI
• Deep understanding of innovation practices, e.g. design thinking, open innovation, agile etc.
• Skills to create internal and external partnerships/networks across the organization
• Excellent problem-solving skills and structured way of working
• Creative and strategic thinker, with a passion for driving innovation and continuous improvement
• Experience in the chocolate or food industry is a plus, but not required

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES & PERSONAL STYLE

• Exhibits a passion for digital technology and innovation, constantly seeking new and creative solutions to enhance processes, decision-making and user experiences
• Embraces agile methodologies and flexible thinking to adapt to changing digital trends and business needs, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and learning
• Collaborates well across diverse and globally distributed teams, with the ability to build and maintain positive relationships across different levels and functions of the organization
• Is capable of effecting communication, conveying complex problems in a clear and persuasive manner to internal and external stakeholders
• Independent and self-driven personality with strong analytical skills and techniques