R&D Senior Scientist - West Africa at Kerry Group Plc

Requisition ID: 35260
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Position Type: FT Permanent
Reporting To: General Manager Nigeria

Job Description

• In this role, you will need to work very closely with Sales, Business Development, Marketing, and the Application teams, as well as the key stakeholders in our markets.
• You will need to push existing portfolio, drive the development pipeline, the key initiatives, launch the new developments in our markets and support the efforts with key customers.
• In addition, you will lead a product development technology within an End Use market that is responsible for the development of new products or the adjustment of existing products from brief to launch - including the implement and handover of new approved products and processes to Operations.
• Concurrently, you will build strong customer relationships and driving customer and consumer centric solutions.
• Mainly, you would work as a member of a research unit or project team to provide second level supervision to RDA Scientists, with technical leadership and mentoring to junior members.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development of new products and processes from a brief to launch. Responsible for product development from initiation to launch.
• Ensure products are brought to market timeously
• Implement and handover new approved products and processes to Operations and QC
• Source new raw material for new products.
• Support plant trials, commercialisation process, customer process concerns etc
• Oversees sensory tasting and application screening to support new solutions and sales.
• Builds further scientific knowledge through interaction with RDA managers and directors and/or academic reviews, literature reviews, regulatory monitoring, and application studies.
• Ensure that all HACCP and ISO as well as Health and Safety Standards are maintained in RD&A.
• Liaising with sales, operations and QC as required
• Is responsible for meeting predefined Key Performance Indicator (KPI) targets. Monitors and measures performance against targets. Takes action where necessary to ensure target achievement.
• Keeps up to date on best practice and competitor benchmarking on product development within the product group to ensure Kerry's leadership position
• Ensure that Kerry is keeping abreast of leading-edge science to drive efficiencies and effectiveness in the quest to develop new product solutions.
• Build strong customer relationships and driving customer centric solutions
• Confers cross functionally to resolve problems
• Ensures good laboratory practices and lab protocols are being met globally.
• Evolves record documentation and methodology into appropriate database.
• Maintains the calibration of laboratory instruments, proper calibration records and laboratory supply stock.
• Documents all research notes in lab books and computer databases, documents key learnings from work.
• Maintains laboratory, including upkeep of equipment, stock of supplies and general cleaning of work areas.
• Actively participates and drives quality improvement of the function.
• Builds further scientific knowledge through interaction with RDA managers and directors and/or academic reviews, literature reviews, regulatory monitoring and application studies.

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in Food Science, or similar field with 5 - 8 years experience within the Food and Beverage industry, as a Scientist or related experience.
• Experience in building of Customer-Supplier relationships
• Raw material knowledge of ingredient functionality
• Knowledge and experience with Microsoft word, power point and excel.
• Knowledge and experience of SAP is an advantage.