Global Innovation Platforms Principal Technologist

About the role

The Global Innovation Platforms Principal Technologist will lead the design and delivery of Discovery Platforms that generate scientific and technological advantage for Barilla. Reporting to the Head of Global Innovation Platforms, the role is based in Parma and operates with high autonomy across multiple innovation horizons.

Key responsibilities

• Define and lead Discovery Platforms to build differentiated know‑how for long‑term category innovation (NEW) and transformative pipelines (NEXT).
• Continuously assess external scientific advances, consumer trends and cross‑industry technologies to shape programme direction.
• Act as technical reference for senior stakeholders, providing recommendations on opportunities, risks and trade‑offs.
• Lead NEXT projects from concept co‑creation through prototyping, consumer test‑learn, pilot scaling and scale‑up, ensuring evidence‑based decisions.
• Design and oversee experimental plans, including formulation, process trials, analytical and sensory assessment.
• Identify and coordinate external capabilities such as universities, research centres, startups, suppliers and technology providers.
• Manage technical due diligence, IP protection and collaboration agreements in partnership with Legal/IP teams.

Required profile

• Senior technical leader with extensive experience in food‑technology innovation and platform development.
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional and external project teams from concept to scale‑up.
• Strong analytical mindset with experience in experimental design, data interpretation and iterative learning cycles.
• Excellent communication skills to act as a thought partner for senior stakeholders and external partners.