11 Feb 2020
As a Product Manager (PM) at Puratos, you have to master a lot of skills. Business developer, marketeer, trainer… you have to be a bit of everything. This diversity is just one of the many reasons for people to apply for this job.
As Puratos is growing and therefore looking for new product managers, we asked four PMs to describe their job and the company. Their answers were published in the article ‘Being a product manager at Puratos’. Because the enthusiasm of these four colleagues didn’t fit in one article, we present you 7 extra reasons to apply at Puratos.
1. International scope
All the PMs praise the international scope of their job. PMs travel about 30% of their time, visiting customers and colleagues across the globe to train them and learn from them. Sara Louwagie, PM for fillings and decors: “Within Puratos, you interact with so many cultures! As a PM, you get to travel, discover food from all over the world, get inspiration from other countries, and inspire people on a global level.”
Tom Vanderstukken, PM for compound chocolate and fat-based fillings, gets a lot of inspiration and knowledge from visiting bakers and pastry chefs in their own habitat: “It’s the most interesting part of my job, and it’s essential to do it. In order to design innovative products it is a must to visit bakers in their working environment.”
2. Warm company culture
All product managers marvel about the warm company culture at Puratos. Sara: “It’s a big, professional company but still family-owned and I love the entrepreneurship, the ‘can do’ mentality.” Anneleen Mistiaen, PM for patisserie mixes, adds: “You really feel the passion for our products.”
For Perrine Blauwens, PM for specialty mixes, the company culture might even be the best part of her job. “As a family-owned company, family is embedded in Puratos’ DNA. I can combine my career with my family – I’m married and have 2 daughters – without compromising anything. At Puratos, you have the liberty to organise your working agenda as it suits you best: you can plan your own business trips, work from home on a regular basis, and organise your hours around your kids’ school schedule.”
3. Dynamic and entrepreneurial environment
At Puratos, you get lots of opportunities to work on projects that are outside of our primary function. Perrine: “You’re encouraged to take initiatives and suggest ideas that will contribute to the success of the company. It’s pretty rewarding that your voice is heard and that you get the opportunity to make a difference.”
Anneleen agrees: “‘Continue until somebody stops you’” is an important maxim within Puratos. This really shows that you can be very entrepreneurial in your daily job.”
Sara also experiences the freedom to just start something, experiment and learn. “All initiatives are appreciated. This means there are plenty of exciting projects; you will always find a project that interests you and where you can add value.”
4. In close contact with colleagues
Contact with colleagues is encouraged by Puratos. “To do a good job, it’s important to be in close contact with our Puratos colleagues in the subsidiaries all over the world”, explains Anneleen. These contacts aren’t limited to working hours. During business trips, most PMs take the time to get familiar with the colleagues from the countries they visit. Tom: “They often take us on a ‘touristic trip’ through the city or for a good dinner. This is the ideal way to combine work and pleasure. Work is easier when you have a better understanding of who your colleagues are.”
5. Diversity of the job
As mentioned earlier, the diversity of the job is praised by all the PMs. Days at the office alternate with trips abroad. Perrine: “The work I do and the people I interact with are so diverse that there isn’t one day that is the same as the other.” Tom: “You really have to be a bit of everything: a marketer, a (key) account manager, a designer, a baker or pastry chef and a trainer. If you are passionate about food and also good with people and products, I would really recommend you apply for a job at Puratos.”
6. Innovation in close contact with customers
Innovation is one of Puratos’ most important values. Customers and internal colleagues are very much involved in this process. Anneleen: “We are not going to succeed just by creating new product developments in our ivory tower. We need to be in constant contact with the markets, we need to know and understand what our customers are looking for and of what trends the end consumer is dreaming about. So we travel to the countries to be in close contact with customers and Puratos colleagues in the subsidiaries all over the world.”
Sara: “We want to build a close relationship with our customers, pamper them and go the extra mile for them. So we’re very hospitable towards customers, invite them for inspiration sessions, go visit them to learn about their challenges and learn about their processes and ways of working.”
7. Sustainability as a core value
Besides innovation and high-quality products, Puratos has some other commitments that are highly praised by staff members: health, sustainability and social responsibility. This permeates the daily jobs of the PMs. Anneleen: “Even in patisserie, a very indulgent product category, we pay a lot of attention to the topics of health & well-being. We see that, on a global level, consumers are dedicating more and more attention and importance to the quality of what they eat. So we spend a lot of time on innovations related to health & well-being.”
For Sara Louwagie, these values were even part of her decision to apply for the job: “I admire the commitment of Puratos to the larger community and generations to come. Our work is not only about generating profit, but also about doing it in a sustainable way and letting the wider community benefit from it as well.”
Have you become inspired by the enthusiastic stories of our product managers? Would you like to be their new colleague and contribute to the growth of Puratos? As we are growing, we are looking for multiple new product managers. Have a look at the job specifications and apply!
