NPD Technologist - Coleraine, Northern Ireland 12 months-maternity cover

About Kerry

Kerry Group’s UK & Ireland dairy related business includes Dairy Ingredients, Dairy Nutritional Ingredients, Dairy Consumer Foods, and Agribusiness. With a revenue in excess of €1bn per year, it is one of the world’s leading dairy businesses. With our strong dairy heritage and deep-rooted connection to our 3,000 milk suppliers, right through to our portfolio of innovative and high-quality brands, the dairy business has a unique and compelling proposition for both consumers and our customers. 
 
Our dairy business has a diversified portfolio of dairy, nutritional ingredients and market leading dairy brands and its vertically integrated dairy processing ensures the highest quality, sustainably produced 1.2bn litres of milk?for our dairy, nutritional ingredients, and consumer foods business – a key consideration among some of our largest customers across the globe.  
 
We have an unrivalled dairy consumer brands portfolio coupled with a track record in innovation underpinned by technology and science. We manufacture and market our own leading butter, dairy, and plant spreads brands: Dairygold, Low Low, Pure and Golden Cow. We are the largest supplier of Private Label dairy spreads, supplying all major retailers in Ireland, the UK and mainland Europe. Our cheese brands compete in children’s cheese snacks (Attack-a-Snak), natural cheese (block, slices and grated), and in processed cheese segments and our leading cheese brands include Strings & Things, Coleraine, and Charleville Cheese. Through our multi-geographical presence (UK, Ireland, and Western Europe) we have a deep consumer insight which is a key component of the business.

About the role

We're on the hunt for the best NPD Technologist out there! You'll be working in our Dairy team across the cheese portfolio working with the NPD, technical and operations team to drive the projects through the development process in a timely manner and win in the market by providing relevant product design to create brilliant recipes that will be loved by our customers and deliver commercially for the business.

In order to achieve success, it is critical that the NPD Technologist works cross-functionally to ensure that all concepts/recipes developed are aligned with the business strategy whilst driving the projects through the development process in a timely manner.

Based in Coleraine, Northern Ireland this is a chunky role, a fast paced, entrepreneurial business. 

Joining us means working in a fast, agile and ambitious environment, with talented people who really care about what they do. We're hungry for new ideas, so we'll always listen to yours & because we're always looking into the future, you'll find plenty of opportunities to learn and grow. In fact, like our entire business, you'll never stand still. 

So, if you'd like to hear more about the role or apply, give us a shout! 

Key responsibilities

• Interpretation of briefs to ensure the development of innovative and technologically competent solutions that are in line with brand/customer expectations 
• Work closely with R&D Manager, NPI, Chef, Technical & Regulatory team to manage projects & co-ordinate project teams 
• Support the communication & management of all critical paths, ensuring that R&D are actively liaising with cross functional teams to discuss all new products, raw materials and processing to iron out issues at the front end of the development process 
• Develop recipes in line with customer and business guidelines
• Complete product trials to enable customer samples submissions, nutritional analysis, shelf life testing and photography can be completed
• Complete all relevant documentation from trials in line with customer and business guidelines to enable smooth hand over to NPI and successful product launches 
• Follow the product quality of each project from concept, recipe development, process design and scale-up to NPI handover and successful finished product launch 
• Maintain awareness of market, customer & restaurant trends and competitor activity 
• Prepare/agree specifications for all new raw materials, packaging and processes alongside the technical department 

Qualifications and skills