Senior RDA Technologist

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

The position involves innovative development and creation of Kerry’s Taste system in terms of Marinades and meat seasoning & coatings, Functional Systems, Rubs & Glazes in various customer applications.Working in partnership with customers to develop innovative products as
well as renovating current products.

New Products are to be tailored to customer specific needs. All development work to be delivered in
terms of Taste, Functionality, Nutrition and Cost.

Key responsibilities

• Focus to be given in creating desired taste system as per customer brief and developing
• winning products when compared to competition.
• Working in partnership with customers and Kerry cross functional team to deliver products
• from concept to launch, in the time frames agreed with customers.
• Develop innovative solutions to help grow customer and Kerry’s market within cost
• parameters, manufacturing capability whilst ensuring all new products are legal within
• country of use.
• Create value added products with a point of difference from our competitors continuing to
• lead in the market through manufacture process and ingredient knowledge.
• Provide our customers with the best available products through developing an
• understanding the market, manufacturing capabilities, ingredient restrictions etc.
• Maintain awareness of developments across Kerry and building these into new
• developments providing USP’s for customers.
• Ensure Kerry Taste and Nutrition is at the heart of all concept development.
• Carry out competitor & product awareness analysis – including sensory product evaluations,
• benchmarking and carrying out own retail reviews as required.
• Build relationships with key personnel within allocated accounts via visits, presentations and
• attending trials in customer premise when required.
• Coordinating launches of new products & running trials at customer’s manufacturing sites.
• Support the R&D Manager with the day to day running of the R&D team and where required
• assist with organizing and running team meetings, project management and training for
• team members.
• Reporting back on customer visits via business agreed tools.
• Supervise factory trials and first production of new recipes where required. Ensure new
• products are correct prior to being released from QC.
• Work on cost optimization projects to improve profitability whenever business demands.
• Make use of experience around the Technical Centre & other Kerry sites where relevant to
• ensure best results are achieved.
• Undertake any training as agreed and directed by the Company.
   

Qualifications and skills

• B. Tech or M.Sc. in Food Science/Technology or equivalent qualifications
• 8+ years hands on experience in development of meat coatings, tasting and Savory
• seasonings, batter mixes, instant mixes, seasonings for QSR’s and snacks.
• Clear understanding of application design from QSR/Processor perspective
• Understanding of poultry and poultry-based product, seafood products
• Understanding customer requirements & market trends across snack customers and execute
• scale up trials for snack at customers’ place.
• Ability to follow processes ensuring product consistency and food safety.
• Ability to independently plan and execute technical work programmes to deliver agreed
• strategic business plans and solutions.
• Ability to interface with other business functions, especially sales, R&D technologists, and
• senior management.
• Hands ON experience in operation of lab equipment’s, Pilot Plants, and customer plants.
• A team player with an ability to work in a matrix organization.
• Customer facing role:
• requires excellent interpersonal and rapport-building skills, with the ability to communicate
• effectively to all levels of the business.
• able to demonstrate skills at prioritizing their work, and strong time management to enable
• managing a variety of projects, juggling priorities and managing a variety of projects/briefs.
• ability to confidently present information and food products to customers
• excellent organisational and solid knowledge of MS Office (Word/Excel)