Sr. Beverage Developer

Full Time Professional Cranbury, NJ, US 1 Attachments

Salary Range: $ To $ Annually

Founded in 1954, Vibrant Ingredients is a leading provider of natural, clean label ingredients and systems that power extraordinary food and beverage experiences. The company’s broad portfolio including natural flavors, botanical extracts, functional nutrition, cold brew coffee, tea essences, and food protection solutions enhances taste, texture, color, shelf life, and performance across a wide range of applications. Vibrant operates four state-of-the-art facilities across the United States and works with leading brands, manufacturers, and food service operators.

With vertically integrated capabilities and a proven track record of innovation and execution, Vibrant helps customers accelerate to market without compromise.

We are a trusted partner to our customers when it goes about 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 Purely Better™ drives our innovation team to discover new, on trend solutions.

As a Senior Beverage Developer, they will support the growth of our beverage and flavor categories. This role will work directly with customers, sales teams, and internal innovation teams to develop winning beverage solutions utilizing Vibrant’s extensive portfolio of natural ingredients.

The ideal candidate is a highly technical beverage expert with strong project management skills and a passion for working with customers to bring innovative beverage concepts to life.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. Essential job functions and duties include, but are not limited to:

• Develop innovative beverage solutions utilizing flavors, flavor systems, functional ingredients, and coffee & tea extracts.
• Lead beverage development projects from concept through commercialization, including formulation, stability testing, documentation, and costing.
• Develop a wide range of beverage applications including carbonated beverages, functional drinks, ready-to-drink beverages, and coffee/tea-based beverages.
• Apply beverage processing knowledge including pasteurization, homogenization, hot-fill processing, carbonation, and canning.
• Build strong technical relationships with customers and support customer visits and ideation sessions alongside the sales team.
• Participate in innovation presentations, rapid prototyping, and new product concept development.
• Support pilot trials and production runs during product commercialization.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting timelines and technical milestones.
• Support lifecycle management initiatives focused on cost reduction and margin optimization.
• Maintain accurate laboratory documentation and follow GLP, ISO procedures, and safety standards.

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or related scientific discipline.
• 10+ years of beverage development experience in the flavor, ingredient, beverage, or CPG industry.
• Demonstrated ability to develop beverages from concept through commercialization.
• Strong knowledge of beverage processing technologies and manufacturing methods.
• Excellent organizational, project management, and multitasking skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with the ability to collaborate with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word) and CRM tools such as Salesforce.
• 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 vacations
• 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 and performance is reflected in our American-made products, which enhance both taste and functionality.

Backed by advanced manufacturing…