Product Lead Airline Tray Set-up - Hoogstraten - deSter

Beschrijving

Are you ready to join an international company that is focused on creating sustainable products for foodservice and airline industries?

Probably at some point in your life you traveled on the plane & ordered some food or went to your nearby takeout place to buy a salad for lunch. In this case, you might have seen deSter products and didn't even know it. A lot of people don't realize that packaging world can be exciting, but it is more than that, especially when it comes to food. deSter is unique in its industry because we design and manufacture packaging as well as some additional complimentary products such as amenity kits, airplane trolleys & condiment packs. Our purpose is to create sustainable food and travel experiences and we need you on this journey.

If you want to be a part of a company that strives to create a better future and change how we look at food packaging, you are in the right place.

Job Summary

With a strategic vision and a passion for innovation, the Product Lead Airline Tray Set-up drives the overall product portfolio strategy and ensures alignment with market trends and business objectives. This role leads product innovation initiatives and manages high-impact customer requests and tenders in collaboration with cross-functional teams.

As the key driver of portfolio growth, the Product Lead Airline Tray Set-up combines strong commercial skills, customer engagement, and financial insight to inspire stakeholders through clear communication and persuasive product pitches. The role partners closely with Product Marketing to deliver successful product campaigns, while maintaining market and cost price analyses to guide strategic decisions.

Beyond internal leadership, this position builds external networks to unlock innovation opportunities, fosters knowledge sharing together with the team, and integrates ESG principles into product development and presentations. Acting as a thought leader and influencer, the Product Lead Airline Tray Set-up ensures the growth of the portfolio by guaranteeing our products remain competitive aligned with customer needs.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Define and lead product portfolio strategy

Develop a strong product portfolio strategy aligned with market trends and business objectives, ensuring internal alignment and buy-in.

2. Drive product innovation and business cases

Lead new product development initiatives and create compelling business cases in collaboration with Sales and Business Support.

3. Manage customer requests and major tenders

Filter and prioritize customer requirements, define the problem to be solved, and determine the best solutions to offer with support of the Product Manager

4. Communicate and inspire:

Present ideas confidently to leadership teams, manage expectations, and pitch product solutions that win over customers and stakeholders.

5. Develop Product Campaigns

Collaborate closely with the Product Marketing team to create and deliver impactful product campaigns that strengthen market positioning and drive customer engagement.

6. Engage commercially

Build strong customer relationships. Collaborate closely with sales teams, while maintaining strong connections with internal operations.

7. Maintain financial and market insights

Analyze market pricing, cost structures, and trends. Conduct make-or-buy assessments and maintain portfolio-related financial and regulatory insights to inform strategic decisions.

8. Foster external engagement and knowledge sharing

Build a network of external experts and innovation partners, and ensuring product training and knowledge sharing together with the team.

9. Integrate ESG principles

Embed sustainability considerations into product presentations and development processes.

Core Competencies and Requirements

Education

• Master degree in Product Development, Economics, Marketing or similar by experience.

Work Experience

• 7–10 years in product management, with at least 1-3 years in a senior/lead capacity (owning a portfolio and influencing cross‐functional roadmaps)
• Proven track record leading end‐to‐end product development and run co-development workshops with customers.
• Commercial exposure: regular customer engagement, co‐creating solutions with key accounts, supporting major tenders/RFQs, and partnering closely with Sales.
• Hands‐on experience with product campaigns in partnership with Product Marketing
• Financial literacy: pricing logic, make‐or‐buy assessments

Technical Skills

Certifcation, licenses and registration

• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): Ability to manage and optimize product development stages, including co-development processes.
• Supply Chain & Manufacturing Expertise: Knowledge of production workflows, tooling, molding, and packaging conversion techniques.
• Data & Financial Analytics: Advanced Excel skills, basic financial modeling, and familiar with BI platforms (e.g., Power BI).
• Presentation & Visualization: Strong PowerPoint capabilities for creating executive-level narratives and customer-facing presentations.

Core Competencies Required

• Strategic planning and product solutions thinking
• Industry Knowledge: Preferably experienced in hospitality, customer experience, aviation, or catering sectors.
• Communication & Presentation: Strong skills in delivering clear, compelling presentations and producing concise written and verbal communication.
• Customer Engagement & Stakeholder Management
• Understanding of marketing principles, commercial strategies, and basic financial analysis.
• Skilled in planning, executing, and optimizing projects and operational processes.
• Design Sensibility: An eye for design and graphics is considered an advantage.

Job Dimensions

The Airline Tray Set-up product group is the major Product Group of deSter's Main Cabin airline segment.

It covers the co-developed sustainable food packaging and tableware for leading airlines across the globe. Restaurants, as well as innovative packaging solutions for food on the go. Our range spans recyclable, compostable, and reusable items such as serving trays, meal trays, clamshells, salad bowls, and dishes.

The Senior Product Manager Airline Tray Set-up and the Product Manager hotmeal report into the Product Lead Airline Tray Set-up

Environment and Safety

Every deSter employee contributes to a safe and environmentally conscious working environment and in doing so assumes the following responsibilities:

• Act in a safe and environmentally conscious manner in all work activities.
• Contribute to deSter's environmental and safety objectives and performance.
• Actively report deviations, hazardous situations and incidents.
• Participate in analyses and initiatives that frame within environment and safety and are
• relevant to the job.

If you want to know more about deSter's Enviornmental and Social commitments, go to

What we offer

Joining deSter means you will become a part of an innovative company with sustainability at heart and colleagues & customers globally. Besides competitive salary and benefits, we also offer hybrid way of working (office/remote) and a team of colleagues that have a passion & enthusiasm for what they do.