Technical Advisor Job at Puratos Nigeria

Puratos is an international group offering a full range of innovative products, raw materials and application expertise for artisans, industry, retailers and food service customers in the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors. Our headquarters are located on the outskirts of Brussels (Belgium), where the company was founded in 1919.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Position: Technical Advisor

Job Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Department: Selling & Demonstration
Direct Superior: General Manager

Mission

• We believe that people will attach more and more importance to the quality of their food and search for diversity & new experiences. We believe that our diverse customers will require adjusted products & services.
• A key element for success is the technical support that is requested both internally and by our customers. Our innovation centres are the place where our technical teams create a great customer experience.
• The Technical Advisors’ mission is to deliver frequent, state of the art, technical service & expertise. They inspire customers with differentiating finished goods, based on latest global & local trends while using our focus product range.
• In close collaboration with the business development teams, they maintain existing & grow new business at different types of customers through high end technical support and commercial contacts.

Key Tasks
Delight customers:

• Give demonstrations with Puratos products, finished goods and concepts in order to create close relationship with the customers
• Organize and/or give training sessions
• Participate and/or manage seminars & events in conjunction with Sales, Marketing and R&D. (TT,IPS,CID…)
• Trouble shooting at customers to support them in solving issues in their daily production in a timely manner
• Develop inspirational finished goods and concepts
• Actively look for customer needs and market trends and translates these into inspirational products
• Create finished goods, recipes and concepts in close collaboration with the business development teams
• Share recipes with customers and colleagues through multiple communication media

Business development activities:

• Promote the focus products according to the Puratos Product Strategy
• Maintain existing business and develop new business by identifying opportunities and threats at customers
• Positively influence purchase orders from customers by great product demonstrations and highlighting our high quality differentiating product range
• Contribute to marketing events

Build and share knowledge and experience:

• Help colleagues and customers build technical knowledge on Puratos products, technologies and solutions
• Stay up to date on new technologies, machinery/equipment, trends and techniques and share with other technical advisors

New product development and innovations:

• Contribute early on in the development process to product development in close collaboration with the R&D and Marketing department
• Give technical advice on the product characteristics that need to be taken into account in the product development process. Advise on how the products are being used and how they can the customers’ life easier
• Support the business development teams in positioning the product range and determine gaps
• Contribute to new product launches (product testing, pictures & video’s, market tests …)
• Support Innovation Center organization
• Keep the Innovation Center in a perfect state on a day-to-day base (through 5S implementation)
• Inform the purchase responsible about raw materials needed for demonstrations
• Follow-up and report customer activities in CRM and reporting tools provided

Network building:

• Develop and maintain a network of schools, machinery manufacturers,
• professional bakery organizations
• Develop and contribute in the internal international technical community

Competencies / Profile

• Secondary Education in Baking / Pastry
• Hands-on experience in the Bakery/Patisserie/Chocolate sector
• Language skills: local language and English
• Computer skills and ability to use professional tools (CRM,…)
• Good knowledge on ingredients, process & equipment and finished goods
• Willing to share knowledge with colleagues and customers
• Ability to translate creative concepts into inspirational finished goods and concepts
• Strong communicator, able to inspire customers
• Interdependent team player: respect others, helpful, open minded, modest and integer
• Proven planning and organization skills with good attention to detail
• Consulting and selling skills
• Ability to find solutions to complex problems
• Flexibility to travel
• Strong communication skills (be a good communicator, has a good didactive approach and a good speaker).
• Flexible personality and attitude: open-minded, honest, social, respect, team player.
• Independent with a commercial approach (in order to tailor make his/her program to the needs of the customers).