Development Technologist

Primary Location

MITCHAM, United Kingdom

At Solina, our community of close to 5,000 people share a passion for food and live our entrepreneurial culture.

We design customised savoury solutions for our clients operating in the food industry, food service, butchery and nutrition markets. With sustainability at the heart of our business model, we aim to produce food that is good in every sense of the word: delicious, nourishing, affordable, sustainable and convenient.

Solina is a fast‑growing business, with around 50 production sites and R&D laboratories present in more than 19 countries mainly in Europe and North America.

By constantly rethinking culinary solutions, we make food matter for people and the planet.

Join us!

As a Development Technologist, you will support the successful development and delivery of new and existing products across our Food service & QSR portfolio.

Working closely with internal teams, suppliers, and customers, you’ll help bring concepts to life - from kitchen development through to production.

You’ll also play an important role in maintaining a professional, organised, and customer‑ready development environment at the Zafron Foods site.

• Support New Product Development (NPD) projects from customer brief through to launch
• Assist with Existing Product Development (EPD) and product optimisation activities
• Prepare and deliver high‑quality development samples for customers and internal stakeholders
• Support recipe scale‑up and factory trial processes
• Assist with raw material testing, ingredient evaluations, and value engineering initiatives
• Maintain accurate recipe, specification, and development data
• Support customer visits, presentations, and first production runs
• Attend customer meetings alongside NPD Lead Managers where required
• Participate in daily tasting panels and ingredient reviews
• Build strong working relationships across departments and functions
• Keep up to date with market trends, new ingredients, packaging developments, and innovation opportunities through supplier engagement and industry workshops

You’ll thrive in this role if you are:

• Curious, creative, and solutions‑focused
• Comfortable working independently in a fast‑paced environment
• Customer‑oriented with a commercial mindset
• A strong team player who builds positive relationships
• Passionate about quality and continuous improvement

• Experience with in FMCG, food manufacturing, or food development, ideally within sauce manufacturing or related categories
• Passion for food innovation and product development
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities effectively
  
  Proactive and self‑motivated approach
• Good computer literacy and data management skills

• Experience working within sauce manufacturing or businesses producing sauces, dressings, marinades, or similar liquid food products
• Commercial kitchen or culinary experience
• Advanced Food Hygiene certification
• Full UK driving licence

We believe in investing in our people and supporting long‑term career development. From your first day, you’ll receive structured onboarding and hands‑on training across key systems, food safety standards, customer requirements, and technical processes.

As part of a collaborative and experienced team, you’ll also have ongoing opportunities to develop your technical expertise, broaden your industry knowledge, and continue growing your career within Solina.

We are open to talents of all backgrounds. Our recruitment process is based on competences, and we openly welcome all candidates of all types according to our DEI Commitment.