Food Development Manager

A Place Where People Matter. 

Start your career journey with Univar Solutions  Here you can make an impact on the world around you and accelerate your career in areas that energize and excite you. 

At Univar Solutions, our Essen Solution Center (Laboratories and Food Application Kitchens) bring together technical expertise, creativity, and teamwork to deliver innovative ingredient solutions that inspire food manufacturers worldwide.

As our Food Development Manager, you will lead product development and innovation for the food segment. You will help customers turn market trends into products that are manufacturable and commercially viable. You'll work closely with our marketing, commercial, and product management teams, and play a visible role as a technical leader at customer engagements, trainings, and industry events.

What You'll Do

• Lead and coordinate all technical and product development activities within our Food Solutions Center, ensuring projects are delivered on time, safely, and with high quality.
• Supervise and develop a team of food technologists, encouraging innovation and operational excellence.
• Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, and Product Management to develop new formulations and product concepts — from idea generation to customer presentation.
• Drive the conceptualization and innovation process, leading the development of new food prototypes to demonstrate ingredient functionality and support the sales process.
• Coordinate the daily operations of the laboratory and application kitchen, ensuring safety, hygiene, and equipment maintenance standards are met.
• Plan, prioritize, and coordinate multiple R&D projects, ensuring effective use of resources and accurate documentation of results and testing data.
• Present Univar's food innovation capabilities at trade shows, customer events, and through live or recorded webinars and digital platforms.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key suppliers and customers, attending supplier trainings and technical strategy meetings.
• Provide technical training to internal teams and external stakeholders on product capabilities and applications.
• Support commercialization by managing a project pipeline that accelerates customer adoption of new ingredients and formulations.

What You'll Need

• 5+ years of relevant experience in food product development, formulation, or application, preferably within the baking, dairy, or culinary categories.
• Bachelor's degree (or higher) in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, or Chemical Engineering (or equivalent relevant experience).
• Proven experience developing formulations that translate food trends into manufacturable products.
• Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality, raw materials, starches, and cost optimization in food formulations.
• Experience with product design, process development, scale-up, plant testing, and commercialization.
• Proven ability to lead a laboratory or technical team and run multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and CRM systems such as Salesforce.
• Ability to travel up to 20% as needed for customer visits, trainings, and trade shows.
• You are fuent in German and English language skills.

Soft Skills

• You are a passionate and creative food professional who blends technical know-how with curiosity and innovation.
• You excel at communicating complex ideas clearly, building trusted relationships across teams and with customers, and bringing energy to every collaboration.
• Business-minded and detail-oriented, you thrive in a dynamic environment where you can inspire others and showcase Univar Solutions' technical and culinary expertise.

Where You'll Work

This is an on-site opportunity based in our Food Solutions Center. Preference for candidates located near Essen, Germany.

Univar Solutions is a leading, global distributor of chemicals and ingredients essential to the safety, health, and wellbeing of our daily lives from life-saving medicines and vitamins to hand sanitizers and industrial materials used for cleaning, construction, and more.  Our global team of more than 9,500 employees support our vision to redefine distribution and be the most valued chemical and ingredient distributor on the planet

We offer a Total Rewards package that includes market aligned pay and incentives as well as a diverse benefits offering to support our employees' physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing.

Univar Solutions supports sustainable solutions for the world around us so that we can do our part to help keep our communities healthy, fed, clean, and safe 

We are committed to a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusion.  Together, we are building a culture that acknowledges the unique experiences, perspectives and expertise of individuals and provides the development and growth opportunities to empower us to redefine our industry. 

Univar Solutions is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected classification.

Univar Solutions does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or staffing firms (collectively Recruiting Firms). Recruiting Firms must enter into a Master Services Agreement (MSA) with Univar Solutions prior to submitting any information relating to a potential candidate. All searches must be initiated by Univar Solutions' Talent Acquisition team and candidates must be submitted via Applicant Tracking System (ATS) by approved vendors who have been expressly requested to make a submission for a specific job opening. No placement fees will be paid to any firm unless the aforementioned conditions have been met. Contacting our hiring managers directly is prohibited.