Technical Service Manager (Fats, Oils, Lecithins & Proteins) - Portugal
Join to apply for the Technical Service Manager (Fats, Oils, Lecithins & Proteins) - Portugal role at Bunge. This role provides leadership in driving growth by identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing customer opportunities through proactive engagement, needs anticipation, and value creation. You will serve as a subject matter expert, facilitating knowledge transfer within the organization and contributing to the development of unique selling propositions (USPs) for our product portfolio.
Main responsibilities
* Manage the technical relationship with key customers (value-added and premium accounts) in Portugal, Italy, Spain, and other countries, providing selective support to standard service seekers.
* Proactively scout and identify new opportunities for customer developments, and translate customer needs into concrete offerings, leveraging Bunge's portfolio across food, feed, and non-food categories.
* Develop, manage, and deliver customer projects (N=15-30, total value 3-6Mn € CM), including sample supply, evaluation, and implementation, ensuring successful conversion into new business.
* Collaborate with sales, R&D, product management, quality, production, and marketing teams to guide projects internally and externally, fostering excellent cooperation.
* Ensure adequate speed of response, time-to-market, and clear communication to manage customer expectations effectively.
* Negotiate and manage product specifications with customers and operations, proactively resolving any out-of-spec situations.
* Organize and conduct customer workshops and trainings, and represent the company at exhibitions and fairs, showcasing the entire portfolio.
* Support the building and demonstration of product USPs in application, driving application development.
* Build and maintain a strong presence and visibility within the local technical community and network, participating in expert groups and advisory boards.
* Contribute to collective technical knowledge by sharing experiences and insights across the team.
* Actively share observations and insights on market and competitor intelligence with marketing, sales, and product management teams.
* Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, striving to be a top-of-mind partner.
Education / Experience
* BSc or MSc degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or Food Innovation.
* Minimal 2 years, preferably 5 years, of working experience, with at least 2 years in oils & fats application, food product & process development (confectionery, bakery, plant-based, B2B/B2C, multi‑national food ingredients companies).
* Proven track record of successful customer project management, product/application development, and customer satisfaction.
* Excellent communication, diligence, active listening, understanding, teamwork, and results‑orientation.
* Native Spanish and/or Portuguese speaker; Italian language is a plus. Fluent English language is essential.
* Willingness and ability to travel nationally and internationally (at least 25% of time).
* Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), CRM (Salesforce), and ERP (SAP).
* Strong behavioral skills: customer‑oriented, self‑starter, pro‑active mindset, advanced communication and presentation skills, commercially focused, team player, strong project management, and organizational skills.
Seniority level
Mid‑Senior level
Employment type
Full‑time
Job function
Engineering and Information Technology
Industries
Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Equal Opportunity Employer
Bunge is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or military or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.
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