Head of Customer Innovation Special Nutrition

Head of Customer Innovation – Special Nutrition & Health

 
Our story goes back more than 150 years, to the chilly southern coast of Scandinavia. From our early success in Sweden and Denmark, we’ve grown into the world’s leading specialist producer of plant-based oils, employing more than 4,000 people across the globe.

 
We work with our customers to make the products you love even better. The oils we produce go into making your chocolate extra-creamy or putting the crunch into your croissant. And it’s not just food — we work across industries to make products that are higher quality, healthier and better for the planet.
Everything we do is about Making Better Happen™.

 
AAK LOCATION
This position is based in Zaandijk, The Netherlands, and operates within a global organizational context.

 
About the role
We are looking for an experienced and visionary Head of Customer Innovation to lead AAK's global Customer Innovation team within our Special Nutrition & Health segment. This role combines strategic leadership, deep scientific expertise, and customer-focused innovation to drive the development of new products and strengthen AAK's position as a trusted innovation partner.

 
As a senior member of the Applied Innovation leadership team, you will lead a team of technical experts based across Zaandijk and Karlshamn, driving new product development initiatives, supporting global Go-to-Market activities, and expanding AAK's technological capabilities within Nutrition & Health. You will play a critical role in connecting scientific and technical expertise with customer and market needs, ensuring that innovation activities deliver both commercial value and competitive advantage.

 
This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of AAK's Special Nutrition & Health portfolio while contributing to the strategic development of our global Applied Innovation organization.

 
Responsibilities
- Lead and develop AAK's global Customer Innovation team within the Special Nutrition & Health segment, building technical capability, engagement, and high performance across teams located in Zaandijk and Karlshamn.
- Drive and initiate new product development projects from concept through to commercial delivery across the Special Nutrition & Health portfolio.
- Provide proactive technical support to regional teams and global business units across specialty products, product launches, customer innovation activities, and Go-to-Market initiatives.
- Build and maintain a strong intellectual property portfolio, including freedom-to-operate assessments and the protection of new and existing technologies.
- Initiate and lead functionality programs to expand AAK's technological expertise and strengthen our position as a recognized authority within Nutrition & Health.
- Act as a key member of the Applied Innovation leadership team, contributing to strategic direction, competence development, and facility planning.
- Manage team resources, priorities, and the Special Nutrition & Health NPD budget to ensure effective execution of innovation activities.
- Lead selected strategic projects related to Applied Innovation strategy, organizational capability building, and technology development.
- Support customer engagements by translating complex scientific and technological concepts into compelling business and customer value propositions.

About you
- You hold a university degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or a related scientific or technical discipline.
- You have a minimum of 10–15 years of experience within food, ingredient technology, or related industries, including significant experience in new product development.
- You possess deep technological and scientific expertise spanning chemistry, food processing, nutrition, and health applications.
- You have a proven track record of leading innovation projects from concept through to successful commercial launch.
- You have demonstrated experience leading, developing, and inspiring technical teams in a global environment.
- You combine strong scientific expertise with commercial understanding and can effectively connect technology with customer and market needs.
- You have experience working with intellectual property strategies and freedom-to-operate assessments in an innovation context.
- You are an effective communicator and relationship builder, capable of influencing senior stakeholders across technical, commercial, and leadership functions.
- You thrive in complex, international environments and enjoy balancing strategic leadership with hands-on innovation activities.
- You are fluent in English; additional language skills would be a