Sr. Material Expert

Foods is one of the largest Business Groups in Unilever. The team supports innovation, technology, and commercialization by delivering differentiated and superior products and packaging solutions that are sustainable and cost-competitive.

About the MET Team

Material Expert Teams (METs) in the Global Design Centre for Cooking Aids and Mini Meals lead global ingredient portfolios and support business growth across Condiments, Cooking Aids, Mini Meals, and Foodsolutions. Working in cross-functional teams with R&D, Procurement, and Quality, they manage material-related needs across projects and ongoing operations. METs collaborate with suppliers through the Partner to Win strategy and connect with internal teams to identify new technologies and partners. They play a key role in innovation projects, portfolio transformation, product claims, and Future Foods Commitments by integrating new ingredients aligned with consumer and culinary trends.

Description of the Role

The Senior Material Expert reports to the MET Food Ingredients Leader and is responsible for managing the assigned portfolio. The role provides strong technical input to drive portfolio-related initiatives and ensures that ingredients with the required functionality and quality are sourced from preferred and strategic suppliers at competitive cost, delivering sustainable value to the Foods business.

The role acts as a key partner in implementing effective and forward-looking ways of working with internal R&D and Supply Chain teams and external ingredient suppliers. By collaborating closely with Procurement, Digital & Data, Quality, and Supply Chain, the Senior Material Expert leverages scale, efficiency, and technical excellence across the material portfolio.

The Senior Material Expert plays a pivotal role in defining and managing fit-for-future ingredient portfolios. With accountability for high-quality global specifications and collaboration with strategic suppliers, the role ensures the delivery of safe, sustainable, and differentiated ingredients that enable innovation and renovation across the three verticals.

Job Summary

• Own the positive material list (PML) for the assigned portfolios, ensuring full compliance with consumer safety, quality, regulatory, and allergen requirements in collaboration with quality and regulatory teams.
• Continuously optimize the Future Fit portfolio and lead the creation and approval of high-quality ingredient specifications aligned with and signed off by suppliers globally, ensuring quality of materials in the sourcing units.
• Support shaping the innovation roadmap together with the MET Food Ingredient Leader, S&T, and suppliers to deliver the latest technology innovations to the R&D community and play a key role in innovation projects.
• Build and maintain a strong network with suppliers, procurement, quality, and other functions across R&D and Supply Chain.
• Play a key role in collaboration with procurement on supplier strategy, capability assessments, and technology scouting.
• Optimize global collaboration with R&D teams around the world to ensure smooth implementation of portfolio strategies, effective crisis management, supplier engagement, and relevant training, while continuously strengthening teams by sharing skills and knowledge.
• Lead and coordinate specific MET projects across all MET Ingredients portfolios.

Key Requirements

• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as Food Science and Technology, Biotechnology, or Food Chemistry/Technology, or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of ingredient functionality, applications, quality, and regulatory frameworks, with the ability to translate material science into product and process solutions.
• Good tasting skills and understanding of sensory principles, with practical skills to facilitate physical and sensory material evaluation and provide recommendations and expertise.
• Strong learning mindset with high standards for focus and delivery excellence.
• Aptitude and mindset for working in a multifunctional, multicultural environment, with advanced global communication skills and fluency in written and spoken English.
• Proactive and independent, with the ability to coordinate workload efficiently.
• Experience in product development teams or material expert teams is highly preferred.
• Collaborative mindset and commitment as a team player.

Additional Requirements

Basic awareness of:

• Recipe design principles of Cooking Aids, Mini Meals, and Condiments technologies.
• Quality aspects of ingredients and applications.
• Relevant expertise in ingredients within the portfolio, including their types and functionality in food applications, complemented by strong knowledge of food technologies, processing, nutrition and health, safety and hygiene, regulations, and culinary techniques to support product teams in selecting the most suitable materials.
• Ideally hands-on working knowledge of existing and upcoming digital tools such as PLM, ELN, Minerva, and PowerBI.
• Interest in food, culinary trends, and ingredient applications.