Principal Scientist

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

Are you excited by biotechnology and enzyme science, and driven to create next-generation nutritional solutions? “Do you have significant experience in enzymology and in applying enzymes within the food and beverage industry

We’re seeking a Principal Scientistto join our high-performance Enzymes Application Team in Naas. This is a high-impact role that drives enzyme application excellence across our current portfolio and leads breakthrough innovation that shapes future opportunities across multiple end-use markets (EUMs). It’s a chance to work at pace, influence a growing enzyme portfolio, and help define how next-generation nutritional and process-enhancing solutions come to life for customers.

A key focus of this role will be maximizing value generation from our existing protease portfolio across multiple EUMs, while also scoping new markets where proteases can deliver differentiated performance. At the same time, the role is not limited to proteases-you will contribute to innovation across other enzyme classes and adjacent enzyme technologies, ensuring we unlock broader application potential for customers in differentiated EUMs.

In this role, you’ll design and optimize enzyme solutions that elevate our performance and value creation in food and beverage. You will lead experimental design, analytical assessments, and formulation improvements that translate into robust, customer-ready solutions.

Sitting at the intersection of biotechnology, nutrition, and commercial impact - this role is ideal for someone who wants to shape next-generation enzyme technologies for global markets.

Key responsibilities

• Working closely with Product Line Management, lead and support the development and delivery of next-generation enzyme technologies to market, while guiding optimization of the existing portfolio to ensure maximum value for customers.
• Identify and prioritize opportunities to develop new technologies for multiple EUMs, that capitalize on the strengths of our protease portfolio
• Generate and oversee analytical data packages that substantiate the technical value proposition of current and future technologies, including the development of new analytical techniques to support where relevant
• Lead the design, screening, and optimization of enzyme systems through hands-on characterization, activity and stability assessment, formulation development, functionality evaluation in application, and determination of mode of action and kinetic properties
• Lead analysis of complex datasets, interpret experimental results, and deliver clear, evidence-based technical reports and presentations to internal and external stakeholders
• Translate scientific insights into practical, scalable solutions for customers and industry partners, ensuring alignment with broader portfolio strategy.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional experts in Product Line Management, R&D, IP, Regulatory, Quality, and Commercial teams to deliver science-backed, customer-focused enzyme solutions.

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Biotechnology, Food Science or related field. PhD preferable but not essential
• Previous experience in R&D within the Biotechnology or Food Science Industry highly preferrable
• A genuine curiosity and passion for biotechnology, with a drive to shape the future of innovation in the food, feed and beverage industry.
• Experience in enzyme characterisation, including the development, optimization, and interpretation of enzyme assays and enzyme analytical methodologies. Experience with Protease enzymes and protease enzyme application is highly desirable.
• An strong understanding of enzyme functionality and the transformative impact enzymes bring to food, beverage and feed industrial applications & production processes
• Ability to analyse complex datasets, extract meaningful insights, and translate them into clear, actionable recommendations for stakeholders
• Comfortable working at speed across multiple projects, coordinating stakeholders, and ensuring timely, high-quality delivery of results
• Laboratory proficiency spanning GLP practices, method validation, and routine use of analytical instrumentation, including spectrophotometry and HPLC.