The posting
Job Summary
Are you ready to lead innovation projects that bring new products and technologies to life in a highly collaborative and fast-paced environment?
As EPMO - R&D Project Manager, you will play a critical role in advancing innovation and renovation programs across our Scent organization. We are seeking an experienced R&D Project Manager who combines strong PMO discipline with the ability to influence, challenge and align multidisciplinary teams.
You will operate at the intersection of science, business and execution, translating complex research into clear project pathways and driving decisions, accountability, and momentum without direct authority. As a strategic partner to cross-functional teams, you will guide projects through Stage Gate governance from concept through commercialization, ensuring alignment, visibility, and disciplined execution.
Based on-site in Benicarló, Spain, you will contribute to the successful delivery of high-impact innovation by connecting stakeholders, navigating complexity, and strengthening project management practices across the innovation portfolio.
Where You'll Make a Difference
- Lead multiple complex R&D innovation, technology, and renovation programs through Stage Gate governance, applying PMO rigor while navigating scientific uncertainty and evolving technical priorities.
- Influence and align cross-functional teams without direct authority, creating clarity around priorities, accountabilities, decisions, and commitments across R&D, Commercial, Finance, IC&D, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Manufacturing and Supply Chain.
- Partner with scientists, technical leaders, and subject-matter experts to translate complex scientific work into actionable project strategies, milestones, dependencies, and decision points.
- Develop and manage integrated project plans connecting scientific milestones, technical risks, business objectives, resources, investment, and commercialization timelines.
- Challenge assumptions, identify barriers, and escalate critical risks to enable timely decisions and maintain project momentum.
- Facilitate Stage Gate reviews and governance forums that drive decisions, accountability, and clear ownership of outcomes.
- Guide teams through uncertainty by assessing technical risk, business value, resource trade-offs, and alternative scenarios.
- Provide concise, decision-oriented project and portfolio insights into R&D and business leadership, clearly articulating progress, risks, dependencies, trade-offs, and decisions required.
- Champion PMO standards, Stage Gate discipline and continuous improvement, adapting project management approaches to discovery, research, and innovation environments.
What Makes You the Right Fit
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business, Engineering, Chemistry, Biology or another scientific or technical discipline.
- 5–7 years of progressive Project Management, Program Management or PMO experience, with considerable experience supporting R&D, scientific research, technology development or innovation programs.
- Demonstrated success leading complex, multidisciplinary scientific or technical projects where outcomes, scope and timelines evolve as research progresses.
- Proven ability to influence without authority, build credibility with technical experts and senior stakeholders, and align teams with competing priorities.
- Demonstrated ability to constructively challenge project teams, navigate challenging conversations, and drive decisions and accountability.
- Strong understanding of Stage Gate, New Product Development and R&D innovation governance, including experience navigating early-stage research and scientific uncertainty.
- Ability to translate complex scientific and technical information into clear project implications, risks, options, and recommendations for leadership.
- Strong project planning and prioritization skills, with experience managing multiple programs, dependencies, resources, risks, and competing priorities.
- Strong executive communication and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to engage effectively with scientists, technical teams and senior R&D and business leaders.
- Experience within fragrance, specialty chemicals, life sciences, consumer goods, or another science-intensive innovation environment is highly desirable.
- Fluent professional English.
How Would You Stand Out?
- PMP or other recognized project/program management certification.
- Direct experience leading early-stage research, technology development or complex scientific innovation programs, preferably within the fragrance industry.
- Experience facilitating R&D portfolio governance or Stage Gate reviews with senior leadership.
- Demonstrated ability to build credibility with highly technical teams while bringing an independent PMO perspective and constructive challenge.
- Strong analytical capability with experience translating technical ambiguity into scenarios, recommendations, and decisions.
- Experience using project and portfolio management systems and data to improve visibility, prioritization, and decision-making.
- Proven record of improving PMO practices and governance within global, matrixed organizations.
- High learning agility, resilience, and comfort operating where the technical answer may not be known at the outset.
We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.
Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more
