Global Director City Farming – Philips Lighting

Eindhoven, Netherlands

Your challenge
City farming is an emerging opportunity. Philips plays an active role in this field. Your challenge is to determine this new business opportunity and establish a position for Philips. You lead the Global City Farm team of Business Development Managers, Technical specialists and Plant Experts, 7 FTE. You work closely together with the colleagues of Philips Horticulture LED solutions, Philips Design and Philips Research. You are in direct contact with entrepreneurs, investors, plant growth experts, retailers, and government and technology partners. Philips challenges you to expand your horizon and the City Farms business.

Your responsibilities
Your core responsibility is to define and implement a winning strategy for Philips in City farming. This includes:

  • Strategy development and implementation, leveraging the competences of your team members and support teams taking an outside-in, out-of-the-box approach
  • Prepare a compelling business case in order to get qualification by Sr. Management and the necessary budget
  • Build and lead the Global City Farm team; manage budgets and timelines
  • Contract negotiations: Make and pursue cooperation agreements in close cooperation with the legal department.
  • Actively engage in the market, managing stakeholders and running projects
  • Evaluate and decide on strategic partnerships in business and technology
  • “Sell” the vision to external and internal stakeholders

Your team
You will be part of a young, dynamic and ambitious team of Plant experts and Technical, Marketing and Sales professionals. You report to the General Manager Philips Horticulture Solutions. You are based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. Expected international travel approx. 25%, mainly to North America and Asia.

Background of the City Farm Initiative: As our world population is growing, and more and more people are living in cities, water, arable land and energy are scarce. Furthermore, consumers demand safe and healthy food with a good taste, sustainably grown. Modern high tech horticulture can contribute to fulfill the needs and meet the challenges of society. City Farms grow food safely, without daylight and with a minimum use of space, water and energy, almost anywhere: in an empty building, in or close to a city, even in a desert.
Philips has been leading in growth lighting for Horticulture for many years, and now extends its activities in city farming. Philips is already strongly investing in the latest development in growth lighting: The Light Recipe. Enabled by LED technology, now the light spectrum, level, position and timing can be tuned to specific crops and conditions, resulting in better and sustainable yields and enhanced food quality

For more information, please visit the Philips Horticultural LED Solutions webpage, or our YouTube-channel.

Our offer
We welcome you to a challenging, innovative environment with great opportunities for you to explore. The opportunity to build up a new business in an emerging market makes this position ideal for people who combine a pioneering mentality with business competence.

Our benefits are very competitive and designed around your preferences:

  • Depending on experience, a year salary (fulltime) between € 75.000 and € 97.000 (including personal benefits package)
  • 25 Days of leave and the possibility to purchase up to 20 extra days off annually
  • A variable bonus based on both Philips results and personal performance
  • Extensive set of tools to drive your career, such as a personal development budget, free training and coaching
  • Solid company pension scheme and attractive collective health insurance package
  • Opportunity to buy Philips shares and products with discount
  • Healthy work-life balance

We are looking for
This position requires business skills, commercial thinking, a creative mindset and team work. Ideally you have a proven track record in successfully setting up new business. Furthermore:

  • You have a Master’s in Business Administration, or a related direction.
  • At least 10 years of relevant working experience in innovation and projects business.
  • Experience in managing a team in a creative process to come up with breakthrough solutions that build towards winning propositions and business success
  • Track record in high level commercial and stakeholder relation management, building partner networks with external companies, finance and (consumer) marketing.
  • Capable to work in uncertain new business environment, pioneering hands-on mentality combined with conceptual thinking.
  • Able to manage a global team, also from distance.
  • Pro-active, self-starter, enthusiastic and ambitious, with excellent management, communication and organization skills.
  • International experience is required, preferably in USA and/or Japan. You are fluent in English

Recruitment Procedure
If you’re interested in this opportunity to join us, please upload your resume and motivation letter through the Philips career site– vacancy number 062883. The closing date for this position is 28-03-2014.
After a pre-selection based on resume and cover letter, you will be invited for interviews by your Recruiter and for business interviews. Checking references, an assessment or other (online) testing may be part of the procedure.

Contact
For any further information regarding this position, please contact our recruiter, Boudewijn Timmers, via +31 6 1145 9277.

07 Mar