Category Director Personal Care

Join us and celebrate the beauty of human experience. Create for happier, healthier lives, with love for nature. Together, with passion and creativity, we deliver food innovations, craft inspired fragrances and develop beauty and wellbeing solutions. There’s much to learn and many to learn from, with more than 16,000 employees around the world to explore ideas and ambitions with. Every day, your talent, your innovative spirit, and your determination will shape our future, making a positive difference on billions of people. Every essence of you enriches our world. We are Givaudan. Human by nature.  

Currently we are looking for a Category Director (Personal Care) , you will lead the growth and development of the Personal Care Category(SEA) and the team based in Singapore Creative Center, through strategic excellence in fragrance development and resource management in alignment with the Regional Category Strategy through a holistic involvement of all functions of the team and management of key stakeholders involved.

Core Responsibilities

Regional Category Strategy and Innovation

• Lead the development and implementation of the Category Strategy
• Manage the Category action plan (including timing) in the regional strategy plan with the correct allocation of resource behind it to ensure successful implementation
• Evaluate with the Creative Center Director the proactive pipeline to ensure the right level of pro-active programs are implemented to prepare for the future without compromising the reactive pipeline  

Evaluation

• Ensure the close involvement and day-to-day communication with the Perfumers within the category
• Ensure market and consumer knowledge is a team strength
• Be responsible for the right level of resource allocation by client/project (Evaluation, Marketing, Consumer Market Insight)
• Support Creative Center Director in building and monitoring continuous improvement related metrics and KPIs in conjunction with Project Managers
• Structure and prioritize Developmental and brief-related consumer market research.
• Support the Gallery Manager(s) in maintaining the best-in-class Gallery for each Category and key market
• Remove barriers that hinder the Development process

Business & Strategy

• Establish direction, values, Development strategies and processes, short, mid and long term
• Collaborate with Commercial teams to identify /interpret business needs and objectives.
• Be closely aligned with the other  Category Directors and drive joint initiatives within the category and cross-categories, as well as successfully managing and implementing Innovation projects through the Category Development teams
• Bring the Development team to a state of readiness for strategic up-coming initiatives
• Ensure intimate teamwork and collaboration with Application Labs for process optimization, Gallery management for Best Practice and S&T for a coordinated illustration and deployment of Givaudan Fragrance Technologies.
• Foster cross category sharing/testing of best/winning themes
• Allocate resources to cross category and trends activities (e.g. Beyond)
• Manage the team on a day-to-day basis
• Promote inside and across regional communication and exchanges

People Management

• Ensure good team leadership and strong values aligned to APAC Values
• Create and manage a training roadmap for the team including formal mentoring
• Grow and recruit (as appropriate) talent within the team and manage succession planning. Right size the team and fine-tune client allocations based on the evolving market needs

Academic Background

• University Degree/Master’s Degree
• Preferably in areas of Chemistry/Business Administration

Professional Experience

• 15+ years of experience in the Fragrance  related industry
• At least 2-3 years of successful team leadership experience.
• Demonstrate:
  • Global / International experience desirable
  • Proven ability in People Management.
  • Proven ability in leading complex cross-functional and/or cross-regional projects

Technical Skills

Industry/Market Knowledge

• Expert knowledge of fragrance products, general market dynamics, and olfactory trends.
• Understand client strategies, initiatives, priorities, and launch processes for key customers.
• Proven expert understanding of assigned brands and multiple product categories.

Olfactory Skills

• Understand core CFM responsibilities, CMI & Marketing functions.
• Ability to effectively lead large, complex Development teams.
• Ability to think strategically and to translate strategies into tangible deliverables
• Project management and focusing on implementation
• Good facilitation and presentation skills
• Ability to build networks, to achieve results through influence, to work effectively in a matrix environment
• Experience of working within an International environment

At Givaudan, you contribute to delightful taste and scent experiences that touch people’s lives.
You work within an inspiring teamwork culture – where you can thrive, collaborate and learn from other talented and passionate people across disciplines, regions and divisions.
Every essence of you enriches our world.
Diversity drives innovation and creates closer connections with our employees, customers and partners.
Givaudan embraces diversity and is committed to building an inclusive environment where everyone impacts our world.