Customer Innovation Manager - Dairy+, Savoury+, Plant-Based Foods & Foodservice

Customer Innovation Manager – Dairy, Savoury, Plant-Based Foods Foodservice (UK Ireland) About the Role The Customer Innovation Manager (CIM) is responsible for driving customer co-development, technical support and, innovation project execution across Dairy, Savoury, Plant-Based Foods and Foodservice in the UK Ireland region.

The role combines strong customer-facing technical expertise with commercial understanding, translating customer and market needs into scalable solutions and business opportunities. The CIM acts as a key partner to Sales, Commercial Product Management and regional application teams to strengthen AAK’s position as a solution-oriented innovation partner.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Innovation Partnership Lead customer co-development projects from concept to commercialization across Dairy, Savoury and Plant-Based applications. Build strong technical relationships with customers, distributors and strategic partners. Translate customer challenges into commercially viable and technically robust solutions.

Support customer trials, industrial validations, shelf-life studies and troubleshooting activities. Position AAK as a technical innovation and performance partner rather than only a fats and oils supplier. Technical Application Expertise Provide expertise in fats and oils functionality, emulsions, texture, process tolerance and application performance.

Support developments in areas such as: Dairy and dairy alternatives Savoury and culinary applications Plant-Based Meat and Plant-Based Dairy Convenience foods Frying and cooking solutions Commercial Cross-Functional Collaboration Work closely with Sales, CPM, Marketing and regional application teams to accelerate opportunity conversion and customer growth.

Contribute to pipeline development, project prioritization and strategic account plans. Ensure strong communication and alignment across functions and regions. Support customer presentations, workshops and value proposition development. Profile Experience Degree in Food Science, Food Technology or related discipline. Strong experience in customer-facing food application or product development roles.

Experience within Dairy, Savoury, Plant-Based and/or Foodservice categories. Good understanding of industrial food processing and ingredient functionality. Commercial mindset with the ability to translate technical concepts into customer value. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills. Ability to manage multiple projects and customer priorities in an international environment.

Success Criteria Strong customer engagement and technical credibility. Increased conversion of innovation opportunities into commercial projects. Improved collaboration between Sales, Customer Innovation and Product Management. Reinforced customer perception of AAK as a co-development and performance partner. Stronger Foodservice support and customer value creation.