Technical Excellence Specialist - Dairy (Benelux)

Job description

Additional Job Description The local Technical Excellence Team (TET) provides hygiene solutions for Food & Beverage manufacturers, with a strong focus on the dairy industry, across the Benelux countries. The team supports customers in addressing their key hygiene challenges and achieving their operational targets. The Technical Excellence Specialist supports the sales organization by acting as the technical expert for the promotion of our brand, value-added services, and product portfolio in the Benelux market. This includes conducting technical audits, recommending best practice hygiene solutions, developing innovative cleaning concepts, supporting customer training, identifying savings opportunities, performing cleaning validation activities and supporting field test related to innovations. The scope of this role is Dutch speaking part of Belgium and Netherlands, with Dutch clients interactions with our clients leading the Dairy Market. How You’ll Make an Impact: Field Support – Troubleshoot customer sanitation and related issues, including food product quality and microbial safety concerns. The role requires significant travel (approximately 60%) to deliver on-site technical support and consultation to both employees and customers. Application Support – Support local Sales/Service Representatives, Contract Managers, and Corporate Account Managers by providing specialised application support for products and programmes. This includes conducting surveys, preparing proposals, supporting start-ups, optimising processes, identifying cost-saving opportunities, and managing the conversion to new offerings across customer bases or market segments. Training & Education – Deliver advanced training to Food & Beverage personnel and customers on sanitation programmes, the technical application of sanitation products, and structured problem-solving approaches. This role also involves liaising with customers, universities, technical associations, and industry vendors, as well as staying up to date with new technologies, technical developments, and relevant regulatory requirements. Phone and Email Support – Provide effective, accurate, courteous, and timely technical consultation via phone and email to internal and external customers, with a strong commitment to follow-up and issue resolution. You will work closely with colleagues within the Technical Excellence team. Your primary focus will be on identifying savings opportunities, validating and improving CIP processes at customer sites, and supporting applications such as cheese-making processes (e.g. tunnel washers) and OPC. You will actively promote the Ecolab culture, with safety as the top priority, demonstrating a positive attitude and strong team spirit, and representing Ecolab in a professional and positive manner to the industry. Qualifications: A strong team player who contributes with their own personality and perspective Analytical and solution-oriented, with strong problem-solving skills Affiliated with the Food & Beverage industry, preferably within the dairy sector Willing and able to travel extensively (approximately 60% of the time in Benelux), including overnight stays A university degree (or equivalent) in Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, Food Processing, or a related field Ideally 5 to 10 years of experience in the dairy industry, with familiarity in areas such as CIP, UHT/evaporator cleaning, cheese mould cleaning and membrane cleaning Solid knowledge of basic chemistry and microbiology A strong affinity for field-based work and a process- and problem-oriented mindset, combined with a willingness to take on challenges, strong interpersonal skills, autonomy, and good organisational abilities Experience with PLC control systems, the ability to interpret CIP records, and a basic understanding of digital tools Strong writing and reporting skills Proficiency in English and Dutch both written and spoken French language is a plus A valid driving license What’s in it For You: As a Technical Excellence Specialist, you will be part of the European Technical Excellence Team for Dairy. You will have the opportunity to work closely with European colleagues who are experts in the dairy industry. You will play a key role in supporting customers in producing safe food by gaining a deep understanding of their needs, developing tailored solutions, and executing innovation initiatives. You will have a direct interface with the Benelux sales organisation, which you will support at customer sites. You will report to the Technical Excellence Manager, Dairy Europe. A career opportunity within a growing, publicly listed organization operating in a challenging and dynamic market segment Flexible working hours A competitive salary and bonus scheme aligned with the responsibilities of the position An attractive benefits package Company-provided mobile phone, laptop, and a representative lease car About Ecolab: At Ecolab, we prioritize our talent-first philosophy by creating the most capable and diverse team to excel at our nearly three million customer sites. Building on a century of innovation, our 48,000 associates help deliver comprehensive science-based solutions, data-driven insights and world-class service to advance food safety, maintain clean and safe environments, and optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies and sustainability for customers in the food, healthcare, life sciences, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. Our solutions not only enhance operational efficiency but also contribute to sustainability and public health, making a positive impact on the world. We are committed to eliminating unnecessary complexities and embracing a beginner's mindset, continuously seeking new perspectives and innovative solutions to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world. Ecolab’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) reflects our longstanding value of working together to integrate diverse perspectives to challenge ourselves, reach our goals and do what’s right. Apply today and join one of the most ethical companies with over a hundred years of history. Join Ecolab and help us protect what’s vital. #li-eu