R&D Senior Scientist

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

Work Location:         Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Reporting To:            RD&A Director

Key responsibilities

Product Development

•    Leading the development of new beverage applications to support customers and work independently on assigned projects with minimal supervision 
•    Create new and innovative beverage products for beverage application; such as Dairy Beverages, Refreshing beverages, Juice based products, Energy Drinks, CSD or NCB with or without thermal process and preservation systems.
•    Develop products utilizing our Taste and Applied Health and Nutrition Ingredients and various technologies in application and assess its stability and suitability in meeting customer needs.

Product Portfolio and Collection

•    Detailed understanding of the Taste portfolio relevant to the applications within the respective Beverage EUM.
•    Understands the collection library and able to propose collection to internal and external customers.
•    Provides input for the definition of Taste collection needs and gaps.

Cross Function Support

•    Works with various RDA technology, to evaluate product performance into beverage application;
o    Links with other application groups to cross share knowledge.
o    Provides applications support to sales for collection promotions or tailored made products.
o    Ability to work with the RDA analytical and sensory teams.
o    Ability to work with Operation, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain etc. on product commercialisation.
o    Close relation with commercial teams to help develop  key customer strategy and support the engagement.
o    Work together with a cross functional team to develop integrated beverage solutions across all category.

Laboratory Maintenance:

•    Follows Best Laboratory Practices and established procedures in relation to laboratory maintenance and stock control.

Sensory Evaluation

•    Manage sensory evaluation of beverage applications for internal team evaluation.
•    Accountable to evaluate, with sales, the collection flavours for the country.
•    Conduct sensory evaluation for product development, product stability etc.

 Documentation of results

•    Ensures all outputs are recorded according to established protocols. Documents all testing results and research notes in lab books and computer databases.

Qualifications and skills

•    Bachelor in food technology, food science, chemistry or a related applied science field.
•    Minimum 7 years of Beverage R&D product development experience within Flavour industry or/and Beverage processors. 
•    Specialized in beverage flavour applications.
•    Experience in managing both internal and external relationships – Commercial / Sales team, General Management, Customers.
•    To taste and smell flavours and food products. To also view beverage colours and degrees of turbidity.
•    Formulate a product with flavour technology.
•    Strong understanding of low-calorie sweeteners, modulations, and nutritional beverage ingredients.
•    Solid knowledge in differentiating types of flavours and their applications, beverage emulsions, stabilities, thermal and commercialization processes.
•    To know the taste products within the food matrix and processing impact.
•    Understanding of application and processing knowledge at customer level.
•    In-dept knowledge of beverage equipment and other industry standards for beverage products and their processes.
•    Fluent in English and Vietnamese Languages.