Global Portfolio Manager, Actives

Job Title: Global Portfolio Manager, Actives
Reports to: VP of Actives
Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany
Language Skills: German and English required
Date: October 2026

Role Purpose

Improving the profitability of the Actives product portfolio, integrating product portfolio and asset strategy with commercial execution. The role exists to drive business profitability by upgrading the portfolio, building value-based pricing and selling capability across the business, and optimizing which products to make at which site.

This role is an individual contributor role with strong collaboration and partnership with Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, and R&D. The multi-site business is supported by manufacturing plants in Germany, France, the USA, and South Africa.

Key Responsibilities

• Portfolio Strategy & Optimization: Develop the portfolio through a business-asset strategy and optimize production by plant; understand site profitability drivers and limitations, and manage product transfers between plants together with Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain functions.


• Pricing Power: In partnership with the VP of Actives, develop and implement a global pricing strategy, accelerating price increases through close alignment with Sales and Finance.


• Value Selling: Build a value-selling storyline and support the training of the sales team, positioning customization only where customers will pay for it.


• Key Customer Contracts: Support long-term customer agreements, balancing plant capacities and trade-offs between customers to maximize overall portfolio profitability.


• Growth: Identify and develop new growth opportunities and, where needed, partner with R&D on new products.


• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Sales, Finance, Marketing, R&D, and Operations.


• Strategic and Cross-Business Projects: Support projects as assigned by the VP of Actives.

Qualifications

• Bilingual proficiency in English and German for written and verbal communication is a must. French language skills are a plus.


• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering with enhanced business education or an MBA.


• A minimum of approximately 10 years of progressively increasing responsibility in portfolio/product-line management, commercial strategy, or pricing within pharma or specialty chemicals (Actives/APIs a plus).


• Prior experience in multi-site global manufacturing.


• Track record of value-based pricing and margin improvement.


• Commercial acumen with direct customer engagement and long‑term contract negotiation.


• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and German.


• Outstanding organizational and planning skills.


• A “quick learner” of market dynamics, trends, product functionalities, and competitive landscapes, with the ability to bridge external demands with internal capabilities and innovation.


• Strong analytical skills and an understanding of financial performance factors, with the ability to conduct manufacturing cost and business case analyses and recommend product portfolio and pricing strategies.


• Strong time management skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and activities.


• Typical travel is 25% and may increase to 40% from time to time, based on business needs, to visit SPI Actives manufacturing sites and key customers with the Sales team.