Pet and Product Science Specialist F/M/X

Job Description:
Pet and Product Science Specialist (Scientific Support Specialist).
Segment: Royal Canin.
Location: Aimargues (nearby Montpellier) - France
Contract: Permanent (CDI)
Through the development of new products and services, renovations/relaunches or lifecycle activations, the Global Pet and Product Science Specialist is accountable for the delivery of scientific knowledge, the definition of Key Product Health Benefits and Claims and the appropriate scientific substantiation for these claims within their ranges. The Specialist gathers and captures scientific information, translates the resulting knowledge into clear and accurate scientific messages for global dissemination to support competitive edge of their product territory. They work in tight partnership with the R&D interfaces, Marketing Brand Managers and Corporate Affair teams to ensure these messages are embedded rigorously and consistently during the product development, launch and renovation processes.

What are we looking for ?
Qualifications:

• Graduate in Veterinary Medicine, PhD in Animal Biology, Nutrition or similar

Skills:

• Significant experience (+5 years) in veterinary education, research or petfood industry.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Fluency in English (both verbal & written).
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written with proven ability to communicate complex science verbally and through written materials, to a variety of audience including expert and non-technical audiences.

What would be your key responsibilities ?
Provide guidance and insights regarding the nutritional and scientific content of projects

• Ensure a consistent and rigorous nutritional and scientific approach is leveraged during the development of our products to fulfill the 'Dog & Cat First' principle.
• Provide scientific evidence for product claims substantiation. Accountable for referral claims and evaluation of scientific evidence of on pack claims.
• For selected portfolio or health territories, develop and maintain relations with KOLs to gain their insights and manage their input on the product being developed in line with our advocacy strategy.
• Engage in relevant workstreams with R&D, supply, commercial & regulatory to represent the insights on nutrition and health for pets; evaluate the scientific needs and inputs to contribute to regulatory dossiers (e.g. GRAS/EFSSA files/PARTNUT..).
• Ensure that emerging trends (issues and opportunities) in the range/territory are highlighted and understood by the business.
• Balance the level of science with our partners in demand, activation & regulatory affairs to maximize business impact in the most efficient way.

Develop and disseminate the scientific content of new product, driving engagement in the story, performance and benefits of our products

• Develop the key message and compelling stories around the product, continually assess the competitors and provide the key arguments to the business.
• Provide the level of science requested for regulatory, KOL, countries, brand communications and customers (veterinarians and breeders).
• Deliver internal training to Royal Canin associates and help upgrade our approach in terms of claims development, substantiation, performance evaluation & product formula design.
• Deliver scientific tools according to the needs of the communities (such as scientific dossiers, PowerPoint presentations, brochures …) to provide global science communication team with all the scientific elements required to train the local sales forces.

Support scientifically product range after launch throughout life cycle

• Keep up to date with science in an assigned territory and follow the competition, connecting with marketing brand manager and preparing appropriate support to answer countries technical questions on the range/territory.
• Provide support for any regulatory challenges, collaborating with Regulatory Affairs. Follow the compliance of the products according with new legislations with accountability for responding to any scientific challenges that
• undefined
• Capture and leverage existing external (Universities, scientific literature, Key Opinion Leaders) or internal (Discover Team research, Field trials, product performance evaluations etc..) scientific knowledge on Pet (physiology, pathologies...) and Product (nutritional & diagnostic solutions etc.)

Follow the technical performance of a product range to drive global product improvement initiative and prepare
future range/territory evolution

• Gather (from product performance monitoring and QFS) and follow the technical performance of a product range (feeding performance, digestibility, customer feedback, requests of regions and the market environment …) and monitor the business performance of the range.
• Build a clear, holistic, regularly updated view of the range technical performance
• Drive with QFS continuous improvement and deploy, discover, develop global product improvement within

the range to maintain our position in health nutrition.

What can you expect from Mars ?

• At Mars, we believe in a relationship of mutual trust, dignity and respect between our company and Associates that is more meaningful than the standard employer/employee relationship.
• As Associates, we can expect to be respected, supported and valued as individuals, to be treated fairly and equitably.
• You will work in a multicultural environment (more than 40 nationalities) and where your dog will be welcomed by more than 100 other Associates' dogs at the office
• You will work in a unique campus, which gathers more than 800 Associates working for: the international HQ, the French subsidiary, two laboratories, a kennel and a cattery with more than 200 cats & dogs, and finally the most important factory of the Royal Canin group
• A unique and ideal work environment to become the leader in health through nutrition for cats and dogs