RD&A Associate Scientist​/Dairy

Requisition : 66411
Position Type: (US)
Full Time
Workplace Arrangement: #LI-Onsite

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

The Dairy Scientist will play a key role in the development and optimization of dairy and non-dairy beverage formulations, supporting customer innovation projects from concept through commercialization. This position requires strong technical expertise in functional ingredient systems, including stabilizers (gums), buffers, and emulsifiers, to optimize product stability, texture, mouthfeel, shelf life, and overall performance.

The successful candidate will work closely with RD&A Scientists, customers, and cross-functional teams to deliver innovative beverage solutions that meet customer and consumer needs while supporting Kerry's commitment to Taste and Nutrition.

• Collaborate with RD&A Scientists to fully understand beverage formulations, processing requirements, batching procedures, packaging systems, and manufacturing considerations for dairy and non-dairy beverage applications.
• Support RD&A Scientists in responding to customer briefs and developing tailored beverage solutions.
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• Develop, optimize, and evaluate formulations utilizing stabilizers, hydrocolloids (gums), buffers, emulsifiers, proteins, and other functional ingredients.
• Conduct laboratory and pilot plant trials to assess product performance, processing compatibility, shelf-life stability, and sensory attributes.
• Maintain an organized inventory of raw materials and ensure timely batching and fulfillment of customer sample requests, typically within 24 hours.
• Execute and support heat treatment processes including HTST, aseptic, and retort processing.
• Participate in customer-facing activities, providing technical expertise and supporting product presentations, demonstrations, and troubleshooting efforts.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams including Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, Regulatory, and Quality to deliver innovative solutions.
• Evaluate and improve food and beverage quality attributes including flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, convenience, and physical, chemical, and microbiological characteristics.
• Document experimental results, prepare technical reports, and communicate findings to internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrate scientific curiosity by proactively exploring new ingredients, technologies, and formulation approaches.
• Participate in sensory evaluations and contribute to sensory panel activities.

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline.
• 2+ years of experience in beverage product development, dairy science, or food formulation.
• Hands-on experience with stabilizer systems, hydrocolloids (gums), emulsifiers, and buffering systems.
• Experience developing dairy beverages, plant-based beverages, protein drinks, nutritional beverages, coffee beverages, or similar liquid applications.
• Knowledge of beverage processing technologies including HTST, UHT/aseptic, and retort systems.
• Experience supporting customer-driven innovation projects is preferred.