Senior Research Chef & Food Scientist
About The Position
Are you passionate about creating impactful food solutions that bring together creativity, science, and customer success? IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products. Taste: Crafting unique, technology-enabled flavor designs that define the identity of food and beverage brands, shape trends in flavor building, and fuel market success. The role is based in South Brunswick, NJ. Join a collaborative, innovative, and solution-oriented team where your expertise contributes to meaningful products used around the world. Your potential is our inspiration.
Requirements
- B.S. or higher in Food Science or a related discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Culinary Science, Human Nutrition)
- Minimum 10 years of experience in the industrial food or preferred flavor industry.
- Experience as a Research Chef with developing products in an industrial food environment.
- The ideal candidate combines deep culinary expertise with a strong foundation in food science and product development, and commercialization.
- 2–3 years of experience working in cross-functional teams in roles such as project leader.
- Proven ability to manage multiple, high-value projects independently with strong planning and decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and presentation skills with internal and external stakeholders.
Nice To Haves
- Experience as an executive/head chef with strong culinary expertise who have gained food science, product development, or R&D experience in Food Consumer Packaged Goods manufacturing
- Strong understanding of sensory evaluation, consumer insights, and their application to successful product design.
- Experience contributing to global or regional innovation programs and technology platforms.
- Recognized technical expertise with the ability to mentor and develop junior colleagues.
Responsibilities
- High level of knowledge of recipe ingredients and raw materials and their function
- Independently navigates both customer and internal projects from start to finish and acts as a project leader
- Develops and improves application formulations and finished product formulations using knowledge of industrial standards, creativity, country specific and client requirements
- Researches, refines and upgrades solutions for customer projects
- Maintains and continuously renovates application-specific recipe database
- Maximizes flavor and ingredients performance through recipe design
- Provides flavors, food systems and ingredients driven solutions utilizing creative problem-solving skills
- Reviews, renews and renovates flavor repositories in-line with established metrics
- Identifies flavor repositories gaps and actions and addresses with appropriate expertise or resource
- Continues to build flavor attribute and language knowledge and articulate with others in the team and on projects
- Uses Creativity and Innovation skills for customer, industry and investor presentations
- Able and willing to mentor others in the organization, including Food Designers and Research Chefs
Benefits
- Continuous learning and professional development opportunities.
- Competitive total rewards aligned with experience and impact.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
