RD&A Scientist / Snacks applications

Requisition ID: 67706

Position Type: (US)Full Time

Workplace Arrangement: #LI-Onsite

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

With a strong track record in snack seasoning development and the drive to deliver against demanding customer expectations, the R&D Scientist, Snacks will play a central role in maintaining and expanding Kerry’s position as a trusted innovation partner in the snacking sector.

This scientist will support the Snack Seasoning team by developing both savory and sweet seasonings for a variety of snack applications. The role will primarily focus on formulating seasonings, blending them, applying them to different snack bases, preparing customer samples, refining formulations based on feedback, and supporting scale-up from benchtop development through full-scale production.

Working closely with customers across the United States and Canada, the scientist will collaborate with RD&A experts and cross-functional partners in Sensory, Marketing, Sales, Regulatory, Quality, Supply Chain, Operations, and Manufacturing. This is a fast-paced, customer-facing position that requires technical creativity, commercial awareness, strong organization, and a passion for developing products that excite consumers.

Key responsibilities

• Develop innovative, cost-effective, and commercially relevant savory and sweet snack seasonings in response to customer briefs and business priorities.
• Formulate and blend seasonings, apply them to different snack bases, prepare customer samples, and refine or match products based on customer feedback.
• Lead customer and internal product development and matching projects from concept and benchtop formulation through commercialization and full-scale production.
• Apply creativity, technical expertise, and a strong understanding of Kerry’s technologies and capabilities to create compelling customer solutions.
• Use knowledge of consumer trends, sensory evaluation, flavor systems, and commercial requirements to deliver against customer and business expectations.
• Proactively generate new seasoning concepts and application ideas that increase customer engagement and create new business opportunities.
• Evaluate how seasonings perform in finished snack products and recommend formulation or processing improvements.
• Recognize and accurately describe flavor characteristics, identify formulation gaps, and carry out appropriate improvements.
• Prepare and present product concepts, samples, and technical recommendations during customer working sessions.
• Establish strong customer relationships and serve as a trusted technical contact and solutions partner.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Sensory, Regulatory, Quality, Supply Chain, Operations, and Manufacturing to ensure projects are executed accurately and on time.
• Facilitate scale-up and commercialization activities, including participation in internal and external manufacturing trials.
• Maintain accurate and timely project records, formulations, technical documentation, and system updates.
• Maintain laboratory ingredients, materials, samples, and equipment in an organized and compliant manner.
• Participate in customer visits, production trials, technical working sessions, and other business activities requiring travel.
• Take ownership of personal and technical development through collaboration with RD&A leadership, academic experts, technical literature, trade shows, conferences, and industry networks.

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or a closely related discipline such as Food Chemistry, Microbiology, Food Engineering, Process Engineering, or a relevant scientific field.
• Approximately three or more years of experience in the food industry, preferably in product development or applications.
• Demonstrated ability to formulate, evaluate, and improve food products or flavor systems.
• Strong sensory capabilities, including the ability to recognize, differentiate, and describe flavor characteristics.
• Ability and willingness to safely taste and smell food ingredients, flavors, seasonings, and finished food products.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and changing customer priorities.
• Professional communication and presentation skills, with the confidence to interact directly with customers.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across technical, commercial, operational, and manufacturing teams.
• Availability to travel approximately 10% to 20%, primarily for customer sessions and production trials.

The pay range for this position is $70,100 - $109,050 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement. This job posting is anticipatedto expire on January 30th, 2027.

We may use artificial intelligence tools to support the review and assessment of applications and assist with scheduling interviews. We do not use AI to make decisions during the interview process. All candidate assessments and hiring decisions are made by our recruitment and leadership teams.

Kerry is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. Kerry will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen. Additional information can be found at: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (dol.gov).

Beware of scams online or from individuals claiming to represent us. A Kerry employee will not solicit candidates through a non-Kerry email address or phone number. In addition, Kerry does not currently utilise video chat rooms (e.g., Google Hangouts) to conduct interviews. Refuse any request that asks you to provide payment to participate in the hiring process (e.g., purchasing a “starter kit,” investing in training, or something similar). Kerry will not ask you to pay any money at any point in the hiring process with the exception of reimbursable travel expenses. In addition, any payments made by Kerry will be from official firm accounts bearing the Kerry name.

Recruiter:

Posting Type: DNI