Senior Food Scientist

About Ingredion:

Join Ingredion, where innovation impacts lives worldwide Without even realizing it, you've experienced our work in your favorite chocolate, your pet's food, the paper you write on, and your everyday snacks. As a global powerhouse across more than 60 industries, we harness the potential of natural ingredients to transform lives. Whether you're just starting your career or bringing years of experience, there's a place for you here to make a real difference. Be part of our team that values a wide range of perspectives and is committed to shaping a better world with every product we create.

Location: Hamburg, Germany OR Lübeck, Germany

Workplace type: Hybrid

Ingredion seeks a passionate and innovative Senior Food Scientist to join our Global Dairy and Alternative Dairy Applications team. In this role, you will lead and execute innovation projects focused on fermented dairy and alternative dairy yogurt products. This position requires a hands-on approach to food design and development, a strong foundation in food science, and technical curiosity. You'll apply your expertise across the full product development lifecycle, from ideation to commercialization, in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.

Join us to innovate and lead in the yogurt category

What You'll Do:

• Lead yogurt product development initiatives by partnering with cross-functional teams (Marketing, Technical Services, and customers) to deliver differentiated, consumer-driven solutions in both dairy and alternative dairy categories.
• Translate customer needs into innovative, technically feasible solutions by overcoming formulation challenges and enabling breakthrough products.
• Formulate and optimize yogurt products in lab and pilot-scale environments, designing experiments and analyzing data to improve structure-function relationships and process efficiency.
• Act as a subject matter expert in yogurt applications, offering strategic guidance, supporting commercialization efforts, and evaluating novel ingredients and technologies to enhance performance and consumer appeal.
• Coordinate sensory testing and quality monitoring across the product lifecycle, collaborating with Sensory, Rheology, and Texture teams, and ensuring robust analytical and organoleptic evaluations.
• Drive project execution by managing timelines, maintaining technical documentation, and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards while staying current on industry trends and contributing to thought leadership.
   

What you will bring:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Engineering or related field with 8 to 10+ years of progressive experience.
• Proven experience in developing and commercializing dairy and plant-based yogurt products.
• Expertise in experimental design, process development, troubleshooting and technical data analysis.
• Proven track record of taking products from concept to commercialization.
• Excellent communication skills, including technical reporting and impactful presentations.
• Ability to collaborate across functions and influence stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel up to 20% for customer visits, facility trials and conferences.

Who You Are:

• A creative problem solver with strong scientific rigor and a passion for food innovation in the yogurt space.
• A collaborative team player with proven industry experience, including exposure to pilot and plant manufacturing environments, and capable of scaling up products while troubleshooting processing challenges.
• A clear communicator committed to commercial excellence, with the ability to translate technical findings into business impact.
• Curious, proactive and eager to stay at the forefront of industry trends and emerging technologies.

Why Join Ingredion? 

• Flexible Work Arrangements – We value flexibility to support you both professionally and personally
• Total Rewards Package – Competitive salary and performance-based pay recognizing your contributions to our success
• Generous Vacation Policy – Take advantage of 30 vacation days each year, plus two additional holidays on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve
• Comprehensive Benefits & Wellness Support – Access health benefits, EGYM Wellpass Membership, savings plans, and resources for your well-being, plus perks like a Profi Ticket, free parking, and secure bicycle accommodations.
• Career Growth – Learning, training, and development opportunities.
• Employee Recognition Program – A culture of real-time appreciation, with personalized recognition rewards globally
• Employee Referral Program – Refer top talent and earn a bonus if they're hired
• Company Pension Plan – Secure your future with financial support for retirement.
• Company Events – Join in on our Christmas party, family day, or Sustainability day for fun and connection

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We value diversity in our company and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, military status, or disability status.

Ingredion offers support to applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If an applicant requires accommodation during the application or selection process, we will work with the applicant to meet their needs.

Privacy Notice: The Applicant Privacy Notice explains how Ingredion uses personal data of applicants and what rights an applicant has in relation to the use of this data for recruitment purposes. This notice applies to applications submitted through Ingredion's career websites and through third parties, such as recruitment agencies, job boards and other means, e. g. by post or e-mail. The announcement can be viewed here:

Relocation Available:

Yes, Within Region

Relocation Available: