VP, Research & Innovation Processing, Digital & Governance

Vice President of Processing, Digital & Governance

The Vice President of Processing, Digital & Governance will lead the creation of this new organization ensuring best-in-class practices for translating benchtop prototypes to successful & efficient scale-up. They will also be accountable for creating and implementing the necessary processes, digitalization and governance frameworks and capabilities to ensure consistent high standards are implemented across the R&I organization for maximum impact on the business and our consumers. This role ensures that product/pack renovations, innovations and BCP/Productivity initiatives move seamlessly from concept to scale-up, balancing speed-to-market with operational excellence, compliance, and sustainability. This role will also be responsible for processing design for the future in partnership with the operations engineering team. The VP will partner closely within R&I and cross-functional teams—including Operations, Quality, Regulatory, and R&I category leaders—to deliver scalable, cost-effective, and compliant solutions that meet & exceed consumer expectations and business objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and implement the technical commercialization strategy for products, packaging, and processes within R&I and for USA.
• Establish & implement governance frameworks in a simple manner to ensure consumer relevance, compliance, high standards, regulatory requirements, and sustainability goals.
• Drive alignment between R&I, Operations, and Commercial teams to deliver seamless delivery of renovation & innovation and optimize resource allocation.

Processing Design and Scale-Up Excellence

• Oversee scale-up activities from pilot to full production, ensuring technical feasibility, cost optimization, and quality standards.
• Ensure robustness in stage-gate process for product and process scale-up.
• Champion digital tools and advanced analytics to improve predictability and efficiency end-to-end from concept to scale-up.
• Ensure strong technical risk assessments are leveraged to create proper pilot plant and plant trials, risks, mitigation steps and measures of success.
• Develop new processing capabilities across the portfolio and maximize expertise to create a competitive advantage and cost advantage.
• Lead and deliver on the productivity targets and create a strong 3-year pipeline at least 150% of the target.

Governance & Compliance

• Lead governance committees to monitor adherence to R&I policies, regulatory standards, and risk management protocols.
• Ensure documentation and traceability for all technical commercialization activities.
• Drive continuous improvement in governance processes to enhance transparency and accountability.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build and lead a high-performing team of processing, digitalization, governance professionals within the team and across R&I.
• Share learnings and best practices globally, while leveraging best practices from other zones and externally.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and operational excellence within R&I.
• Mentor future leaders and ensure strong succession planning for critical roles.

The salary range for this position is $240,000-$345,000 USD. The exact salary offered will depend on several factors, including the candidate's relevant experience, geographic location, internal equity, and market conditions. Danone North America additionally offers a performance-based bonus and has a strong benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Coverage, 401k Plan, Wellness Program, Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, Flexible Time Off, and Paid Parental Bonding Leave, among other benefit plan options. To give our employees flexibility, Danone is a hybrid work environment.

Education: Advanced degree in Food Science, Engineering, or related field; MS/PhD preferred.

Experience:

• 15+ years in process engineering, end-to-end product and packaging R&I and experience in or with Operations within the food and beverage industry.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale industrialization projects and governance frameworks.
• Experience in global and matrixed organizations.

Skills:

• Exceptional experience in building strong cross-functional partners to deliver on consumer and business impact.
• Strong strategic thinking and execution capabilities.
• Expertise in process scale-up, commercialization, and compliance.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Key Competencies

• Culture Creator
• Strategic Agility
• Operational Excellence
• Governance & Risk Management
• Collaborative Leadership
• Innovation Mindset