Research And Development Scientist - Food

About This Role

Researching and developing new food products is the core of this hands-on role, working within a rapidly growing food manufacturing business. The position suits a Food Scientist or experienced food development professional who understands the science behind food formulation and enjoys practical development, trials, and problem-solving.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimise food formulations and recipes through hands-on bench and pilot-scale development
• Take recipes and concepts from initial development through trials, scale-up, and commercial manufacture
• Plan and carry out practical development work, including preparing, cooking, and evaluating products
• Run pilot-plant trials to understand how formulations and ingredients behave under different processing conditions
• Support factory trials and commercial scale-up, identifying and resolving issues as products move into manufacturing
• Assess ingredients and raw materials, understanding their functionality and impact on finished product quality
• Investigate formulation challenges and use a structured, scientific approach to identify practical solutions
• Evaluate areas including texture, flavour, appearance, stability, consistency, and manufacturability
• Establish and refine processing parameters required to achieve consistent product performance at scale
• Work closely with the Innovation Manager and colleagues across Technical, Quality, Operations, Engineering, and Supply Chain
• Capture learnings from development and manufacturing trials to continuously improve formulations and development processes
• Maintain accurate recipes, formulations, trial records, and development documentation
• Manage multiple development projects simultaneously while maintaining clear priorities and momentum

Requirements

• Previous hands-on experience within food product development, R&D, or food technology is essential
• A degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or another relevant scientific discipline is required
• Experience running or supporting product trials and taking products through factory scale-up
• A good understanding of ingredient functionality and how raw materials influence finished product performance
• Comfortable working hands-on in a development kitchen, laboratory, pilot plant, or manufacturing environment
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to investigate formulation or processing issues and identify practical solutions
• Experience taking products from development through to commercial manufacture
• Strong attention to detail with a structured and scientific approach to development work
• Comfortable managing multiple development projects and priorities simultaneously