Formulation Technologist GDC Condiments

Unilever Foods R&D is recruiting a Formulation Technologist for the Condiments Global Design Center (GDC) at HIVE in Wageningen, The Netherlands.

About Foods R&D

Foods R&D develops and delivers products and solutions rooted in science and technology. With the global innovation centre Hive in Wageningen, The Netherlands, and a network of R&D teams across the world, the team works closely with internal and external partners to create innovations. Digital and Data are central to how R&D works, from discovery through product development and deployment, and new developments in AI and Data Science are an important differentiator.

About Global Design Center (GDC) Foods - Condiments

The Global Design Centre (GDC) Condiments Innovation team leads the Global R&D program for Condiments and partners with Global Brand teams to drive Global Innovation Big Bets with impact and scale. The team drives innovation of new product solutions to meet unmet consumer needs and creates proprietary technologies, science-based solutions, formulation designs and digitally embedded tools to deliver benefits and value to consumers through products. The team also leads the transformation of major product portfolios towards healthier, more sustainable, and more flavorful offerings at affordable costs.

Job Purpose

Unilever is looking for a Formulation Technologist for the Condiments Global Design Center (GDC) at HIVE in Wageningen, The Netherlands. This role is suited to someone passionate about innovation and new technologies who wants to work in a dynamic and diverse team with a collaborative, can-do culture and opportunities for development.

You will be responsible for developing and implementing new technologies to drive innovation and deliver globally superior products for fast-growing brands. In this role, you will focus on leveraging advanced technology solutions in collaboration with the cross-category design team as well as innovation teams, BUs, SC and relevant functions to ensure successful integration of novel approaches into the product portfolio.

The role requires a blend of technical expertise in condiments formulation and processing, along with solid analytical and digital skills for fast and high-quality experimentation at lab and pilot plant scale and thorough reporting of those experiments.

Main Responsibilities

• Formulation development for new Condiments technologies, innovations and renovations, enabling design and delivery of new product chassis in close collaboration with Cluster R&D, Science & Technology, Category Design and Capability teams.
• Independent set up and execution of experimental trials at laboratory and pilot plant scale and possibly support for factory trials.
• Brainstorming for new ideas, both for innovation as well as product and pack optimizations.
• Handling and administrative management of product samples.
• Execution and reporting of routine product analyses and shelf-life tests.
• Organizing tasting sessions and supporting consumer panel evaluations.
• Analysing, drawing conclusions and reporting data results according to agreed standards.
• Team presentations of achievements in internal meetings.
• Responsible for the maintenance of equipment and adhering to working procedures, including designing and capturing new work procedures as needed.
• Responsible for lab and product storage rooms, as needed.
• Ability to train others in working with related equipment and IT systems.

Key Requirements

Technical expertise

• Professional education, minimum HBO level, preferably in Food Technology, Food Science, Product Design, Food Engineering, Processing, or related areas.
• Affinity with food product development; experience in recipe design principles of emulsion-based products is preferred.
• Working knowledge of key processing equipment is preferred, preferably in Condiments/Food processing.
• Working knowledge of general IT tools is required, for example structured data capturing in systems like LIMS or ELN, as well as hands-on experience with software such as PLM, ELN, Minerva and Digital Analytics.
• Experience in developing design of experiments, conducting pilot and factory scale trials, setting up shelf life and stability tests and conducting analytical tests.
• Ability to organize own work agenda and set priorities.
• Ability to work on several sub-projects at the same time and organize this efficiently.
• Working experience within a multinational company and enjoyment of cultural diversity.
• Excellent team player and good communicator, with fluency in English, both written and spoken.

Physical Effort

The role is a mix of desk-based, laboratory, pilot plant and occasionally factory activities. Occasional travel will be required to attend trials and supplier qualification. Tasting is part of the daily routine.

Key Competencies

• External orientation/Consumer orientation
• Goal oriented
• Analytical capability
• Team commitment
• Practical creativity