R&D Scientist

Kerry Group • Beloit, KS

110d • $91,311 - $149,080

About The Position

As a Scientist, you will work in the Kerry Protection & Preservation RD&A team. You will work on the optimization of existing Kerry products and support the development of new products for control of spoilage organisms and pathogens. You will be responsible for serving end use market projects, strategy projects with the latest technical knowledge. You will work closely together with Food scientists, Microbiologists and Business Development experts to jointly deliver the Food Protection strategy. You will manage projects within Food Protection and will be responsible for the screening of antimicrobials in broth systems, as well as the design and execution of shelf-life and microbial challenge studies evaluating the performance of clean-label and conventional antimicrobials in a wide variety of food matrices. You will also be responsible for developing collaboration and connections with subject matter experts, industry leading scientists, scientific forums and strive to be a leading expert in the Preservation field. You will also keep current with the state of the art by complementing your experimental work with literature searches and participation in relevant conferences or online forums.

Requirements

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Food Safety or Food Microbiology or similar with 1-5 years of work experience in the food preservation field.
• Experience in working with meat, bakery or savory applications is preferred.
• Hands-on, with a practical mindset.
• Competent in bench-top microbiology, aseptic technique, plating, transfer & culture maintenance.
• Competent in handling foodborne pathogens, including sporeformers, Gram-positives and Gram-negatives.
• Competent in handling yeast, mold, and lactic acid bacteria.
• Must be able to work in an international, highly dynamic environment, able to set and adjust priorities with a high drive to deliver results.
• Fluency in English, both oral and written.
• Easy communicator, able to write clear reports and present results and conclusions to target audiences.
• Ownership of projects or workstreams in projects, accountability for taking decisions on how to steer projects and drive projects to completion on schedule.
• Knowledge of food microbiology and prevalence of spoilage and pathogens in different food applications, and the factors impacting microbial behavior in foods.
• Knowledge of statistical design of experiments.
• Ability to develop and deliver succinct and relevant technical presentations.
• Strives for high standards, seeks innovative solutions, drives continuous improvement of products and processes, and demonstrates a high degree of intellectual curiosity.

Responsibilities

• Set-up, manage and conduct microbial studies in broth and application, such as challenge and shelf-life studies, inactivation studies across a broad portfolio of food applications.
• Validate the performance of Kerry's clean-label and conventional antimicrobial products in novel applications. Benchmark performance against competing technologies.
• Coordinate external third-party challenge studies, including materials, data handling, and reporting. Provide input for proper study design and execution.
• Draw conclusions based on experimental data and share with the relevant stakeholders (RD&A, Business Development, Product Management, Sales) in a manner fit for the audience.
• Perform periodic reviews of internal challenge study database and present findings to Technical Business Development leaders to identify commercially relevant gaps in the study database.
• Build strong working relations with RD&A colleagues in Kerry Taste and Nutrition food science teams.
• Build a network with research institutes, universities, and external labs to drive the Food Protection strategy.
• Implement and execute Food Protection strategy plans to meet business needs.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package
• Incentive and recognition programs
• Equity stock purchase
• Retirement contribution

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Industry: Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
• Education Level: Master's degree