Senior Scientist - Extraction

Founded in 1954, Vibrant Ingredients is committed to providing innovative clean label solutions that naturally provide exceptional food protection, flavor, color and texture for a variety of applications, including processed and cured meat, beverages, plant-based alternatives, health and wellness, culinary, and pet nutrition. Vibrant Ingredients believes in improving the food and beverages we eat and drink with ingredients from nature that work.

We are a trusted partner to our customers when it comes to innovation and an industry leader in clean label ingredients, we are a true partner. We collaborate with our customers in ways that respect people and the environment. A commitment to Real. Simple. Better™ drives our innovation team to discover new, on trend solutions.

We are seeking a creative and technically accomplished Senior Scientist to help define the future of premium coffee and tea extraction. In this highly visible, hands-on role, you will apply deep expertise in tea and coffee chemistry, sensory performance, and process development to turn complex technical challenges into scalable ingredient solutions with distinctive flavor, aroma, and quality.

Essential job functions and duties include, but are not limited to:

• Lead formulation and development of new coffee and tea extracts, concentrates, essences, and other value-added products.
• Conduct systematic technical assessment of existing processes. Redefine process parameters to balance extraction efficiency with preservation of desirable flavor and aroma characteristics.
• Design and execute benchtop and pilot extraction experiments to understand the relationship between raw material characteristics, extraction conditions, processing parameters, and finished product performance.
• Generate high-quality technical data and translate results into clear conclusions and recommendations.
• Work with sensory teams and/or conduct structured sensory evaluations to assess product and process performance.
• Stay current with emerging technologies, competitive products, processing methods, and industry trends related to tea and coffee ingredients.
• Manage and drive projects to a successful outcome.

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
• 10 years of experience in the Food Industry with a proven track record of success in new product development, improving process performance, and product quality.
• Direct experience with coffee/tea/botanical extraction and processing is highly preferred.
• Deep knowledge of manufacturing processes, including extraction, filtration, drying.
• Experience and knowledge of a wide range of aqueous extraction and separation technologies including Spinning Cone column, cold brew coffee, filtration, evaporation, drying.
• Hands on experience working with different tea, coffee raw materials and knowledge of their sensory characteristics and extraction behavior.
• Excellent technical execution and project management skills
• Well-developed communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively throughout all levels of the organization.
• Ability to travel up to 25%
• May involve exposure to allergens such as Soy, Wheat, Fish, Shellfish, Milk, Egg, Tree Nuts and Sesame.

• Generous time off for vacation
• Paid Holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• Health & Wellness programs

Vibrant Ingredients, headquartered in Lake Mary, FL, is one of the world's leading independent providers of natural ingredients. With a legacy spanning over 70 years, we deliver a diverse portfolio of clean label ingredients and innovative system solutions to the food and beverage industry. Our commitment to quality…