{"id":2366670,"url":"https://alion.io/job/westfalia-fruit-senior-research-development-engineer","title":"Senior Research & Development Engineer","company":{"id":450142,"name":"Westfalia Fruit","domain":"westfaliafruit.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/westfalia-fruit","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workable","truth_index":null},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Wingene, Belgium"],"countries":["BE"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":56000,"max_usd":127000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":6708},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-30","last_verified_at":"2026-10-13T13:43:14Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":13,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":13},"description":"Come and join the leading #avoexperts\nWestfalia Fruit is a leading multinational supplier of fresh fruit and related value-added products to global markets. Through our vertically-integrated supply chain we grow, source, ripen, pack, process and market quality avocadoes & fresh produce - 365 days a year & across the globe.\nWith the largest avocado-growing footprint in the world, we are recognised as the leading #avoexperts and considered as the supplier of choice to both retail & wholesale customers whom we serve from sales offices in the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America & Southern Africa.\nWe’re looking for a Senior R&D Engineer to join our team in Wingene, Belgium.\nThe Senior Research & Development Engineer will drive product and process innovation across Westfalia Fruit within it’s scaling convenience team, combining expertise in food product development, manufacturing processes and packaging technologies.\nResponsible for managing projects from initial concept through to commercial production, the role will develop and optimise recipes, processes and packaging solutions, ensuring alignment with customer requirements, food safety standards and operational capabilities.\nWorking collaboratively across Quality, Production, Sales and Supply Chain, the role will lead industrial trials, process validation and continuous improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities to enhance product quality, manufacturing efficiency, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.\nResponsibilities include:\nLead the end-to-end development and industrialisation of new food products, translating customer requirements, market trends and commercial opportunities into technically and commercially viable solutions.\nDevelop, formulate and optimise recipes, balancing ingredient functionality, nutrition, product quality, cost, raw material utilisation and manufacturing capabilities.\nPlan, coordinate and evaluate laboratory, production and industrial trials, successfully scaling concepts from development through to full commercial production.\nDevelop, validate and optimise manufacturing processes, identifying and resolving technical challenges relating to product consistency, processing conditions, freezing and thawing, production performance and product quality.\nResearch, develop and validate innovative packaging materials, technologies and configurations, ensuring compatibility with products, manufacturing processes, customer requirements and operational needs.\nIdentify and implement continuous improvement opportunities across products, processes and packaging to improve efficiency, quality, cost, sustainability and waste reduction.\nIdentify, evaluate and collaborate with ingredient, raw material, packaging and technology suppliers to support innovation, alternative sourcing and technical development.\nManage product and process validation activities, including customer samples, sensory evaluations, shelf-life testing, nutritional analysis, technical specifications and first-production monitoring.\nMaintain accurate and controlled technical documentation and data, including recipes, production instructions, process parameters, packaging specifications, GS1/customer specifications and relevant internal systems.\nAct as a key technical partner across Sales, Marketing, Quality, Production, Supply Chain and Customer Service, providing technical expertise, project updates and practical solutions while supporting food safety, HACCP and quality requirements.\nRequirements\nDegree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering or related discipline.\nSignificant experience in food product development and food manufacturing.\nProven track record of delivering products from concept through to commercial launch.\nExperience leading factory trials, process validation and product scale-up.\nStrong project management and stakeholder management skills.\nGood understanding of food safety, HACCP and food manufacturing processes.\nFluent in Dutch and English.\nBenefits\nWe value your efforts, and we show it not only with words but also with actions.\nYou work full-time with flexible hours and working from home days. \nThe extensive package of extra-legal benefits includes many vacation days, hospitalization and group insurance, a mobile phone, 9.5 euros meal vouchers, bike leasing and eco vouchers. \nYou get a versatile job with impact, a lot of independence, and growth opportunities.\nYou can take home dips, and many other avocado treats.\nEven outside the workplace, the #guacsquad is a close-knit and fun group. From the annual team building to jogging in the forests of Wingene, playing padel, or the legendary football tournaments. And of course, the fun lunch breaks and after work drinks. \nSYROS DNA\nI MAKE IT HAPPEN\nI TAKE OWNERSHIP\nFOCUS TO GET THINGS DONE GOOD AND FAST\nI AM THE CUSTOMER.\n CELEBRATE EVERY SUCCESS, big or small.\nPlease note that this position does not have a specific closing date. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible as we will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and the advert may be removed at any time.\nWe’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to age, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, or veteran, neurodiversity or disability status.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5347,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"Dutch","level":"Advanced (C1)","optional":false},{"language":"English","level":"Advanced (C1)","optional":false}]},"benefits":["Growth opportunities"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":[],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-12T16:44:40Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":76,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.839,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":13,"expected_fill_days":36,"reasons":["conf:2","win:mid"],"computed_at":"2026-10-13T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/westfalia-fruit-senior-research-development-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/westfalia-fruit-senior-research-development-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-13T14:43:34Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":22613,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-14T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":450142},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=450142"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fwestfalia-fruit-senior-research-development-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fwestfalia-fruit-senior-research-development-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fwestfalia-fruit-senior-research-development-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/westfalia-fruit-senior-research-development-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fwestfalia-fruit-senior-research-development-engineer"}]}