What are the responsibilities and job description for the Portfolio Services Manager position at MANE?
MANE is a 5th generation French family-owned business known for innovation and progress in the world of Flavor and Fragrance. As sensation enthusiasts, we strive to provide exceptional moments in people’s daily lives through the timeless flavors and fragrances we create. With our passion, creativity, and innovation, “We capture what moves”.
We are looking to add a Portfolio Services Manager to our dynamic team at our Development Center in Lebanon, OH! The Portfolio Manager – is responsible for managing and optimizing the Flavor, Color & Seasoning Portfolio to support business growth, innovation and customer needs. This role ensures the portfolio is strategically aligned, clearly structured, and effectively governed across its full lifecycle under the direction of the Portfolio Director. The Portfolio Manager partners closely with R&D, Flavorists, Applications, Commercial, Category, Operations, Regulatory, and Sales teams to drive focus, efficiency, and value.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Manage the end-to-end lifecycle of the flavor portfolio, including introduction, optimization, and rationalization
- Manage portfolio daily activities in support of reactive customer projects, ensuring flavor solutions align with target applications and customer expectations.
- Assist in leading portfolio strategy and optimization by maintaining the flavor portfolio in alignment with market trends, customer needs, and category strategy.
- Ensure portfolio decisions align with business strategy, market trends, and customer requirements, by identifying gaps, redundancies and improvement opportunities within the portfolio. Identify opportunities to streamline and optimize the portfolio while maintaining customer centricity
- Monitor portfolio performance using key metrics such as utilization, complexity, and relevance. Monitor KPI’s and performance indicators for accuracy, ensuring alignment of sensory language, correctness of application data, and adherence to best practices.
- Partner with and lead cross-functional collaboration across Flavorists, Applications, Category, Marketing, Regulatory, and Sales functions.
- Attend and contribute to daily project steering meetings
- Participates in taste panels and project evaluations.
- Handle special tasks and projects as requested to meet company objectives.
- Proactively plans daily activities to increase knowledge in cross-category applications as well as R&D systems and processes.
- Mentor and guide technical team involved in portfolio maintenance and evaluation
- Set priorities, workflows and best practice for Portfolio team
- Leads flavor portfolio projects with minimal guidance, effectively presenting internally and representing the team in customer interactions.
- Building technical skills i.e. sensory, regulatory, data analysis, project management
- Maintain accurate portfolio documentation, reporting, and dashboards
- Communicate portfolio updates, changes, and insights to stakeholders and leadership
- Other duties in support of company objectives
- Consistent with MANE’s environmental commitments, every employee shall actively participate in relevant education/training based upon corporate and local environmental objectives. Management shall support and facilitate the actions within their teams to effectively and adequately implement environmental policies, procedures and practices, as well as promote continual improvement consistent with environmental goals.
COMPENTENCIES:
- Possess a technical and detail oriented skillset and knowledge of flavors and flavor systems with the ability to manage multiple lines of projects.
- Daily bench work assisting in the development of industry-leading flavors
- Excellent Math Skills and Understanding of basic Laboratory Math Practices
- Collaborative – Willingness to share and learn from experiences and be solution focused
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Highly adaptable and solution-oriented
- Must be detail-oriented, organized, and maintain a high level of confidentiality
- Self-motivated, forward thinking problem solver
- Team Leadership, coaching and development
- Excellent Project Management
- Computer experience, with emphasis on Microsoft Office and formulation software. SAP experience a plus
- Understanding of safe laboratory practices & follow protocol independently
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
- Bachelor’s degree required with a preference in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry or related technical discipline.
- Product and process development knowledge of flavor technologies and applications.
- Minimum of 7 years of experience in the flavor or food industry, with expertise in flavor research and development, product management and proven experience leading a dynamic team, preference for portfolio management (product & people).
MANE offers industry leading benefits including a generous PTO plan. Additional benefits include paid holidays, annual year-end shutdown, annual and bi-weekly 401(k) contributions, tuition reimbursement, paid parental leave, employee assistance programs and many more. MANE is known for having a culture that focuses on our employees and their well-being. See for yourself why our employees love working at MANE!
MANE is an equal opportunity employer.