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Thames Refinery, UK

R&T Director

ASR Group is the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar, with an annual production capacity of more than 6 million tons of sugar. The company produces a full line of grocery, industrial, food service and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group owns and operates six sugar refineries, located in Louisiana, New York, California, Maryland, Canada and Mexico.

In Europe, the company owns and operates sugar refineries in England and Portugal. ASR Group also owns and operates mills in Mexico and Belize. The company’s brand portfolio includes the leading brands Domino®, C&H®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Lyle’s® and Sidul®.

Reporting to the Research & Technology Director, the Senior Research Scientist is responsible for leading and coordinating product development projects across Europe, with occasional involvement in global initiatives.

Working within the Global Research and Technology department and European cross-functional teams, this role ensures technical excellence, compliance, and timely delivery of new and existing products.

• Lead, design, and execute technical aspects of product development, reformulation, and optimisation strategies from concept through launch and post-launch governance.
• Provide technical leadership in ingredient qualification, formulation development, and production of bench-top or full-scale samples aligned with customer and marketing briefs.
• Apply stage/gate project management principles to deliver multiple work streams on time and within budget.
• Develop product formulations and laboratory samples based on consumer insights, ensuring compliance with manufacturing, regulatory, and cost objectives.
• Design and conduct sensory evaluations and consumer testing (qualitative and quantitative), analyse data, and provide actionable recommendations.
• Prepare and submit ingredient specifications, formulation briefs, and finished product documentation; develop process control documents in collaboration with quality and operations teams.

• Lead scale-up trials across European sites, including co-packers, by defining objectives, developing Design of Experiments plans, capturing critical data, and aligning cross-functional teams to optimise product performance.
• Direct full-scale production trials to validate process robustness, confirm commercialisation strategies, and ensure seamless transfer from development to manufacturing.
• Troubleshoot manufacturing, pilot plant, and laboratory processes using data-driven approaches and continuous improvement methodologies to resolve technical challenges.

• Manage and mentor a team of one, Research Scientist, by providing guidance, setting priorities, and fostering collaboration to achieve departmental objectives.
• Oversee routine laboratory operations, including formulation development, analytical testing, equipment reliability, consumables management, and budget planning.
• Ensure a safe, GMP-compliant laboratory environment and adherence to health and safety standards.
• Manage qualification and tracking of real-time and accelerated shelf-life assessments for all new, optimised, or reformulated products.
• Deliver technical training for internal teams and customers on new products, consumer needs, and technology implementation.

• Contribute to projects involving manufacturing operations, packaging innovation, regulatory, legal, quality, supply chain, and procurement.
• Partner with Marketing, Sales, Procurement, Finance, and Operations to identify opportunities for competitive advantage and support new product development initiatives.
• Lead customer engagement sessions, supporting Marketing and Sales with development briefs and product sample showcases.

• Experienced in a similar role within the Food or FMCG industry
• Strong technical expertise in formulation science and manufacturing processes, from bench-top through…