• Job Description

  Req#: R-75048

  UNILEVER IN WAGENINGEN IS LOOKING FOR A PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIST – DRESSINGS PLATFORM

  Location: Wageningen

  Full-time

  Local conditions apply.

  Travel 5%-10%

  Salary: 44-60 K gross depending on background and experience

  For the recruitment of this position, we would like to emphasize that local conditions apply to the position and for this vacancy in principle we will first consider candidates based in the Netherlands. If you are based outside of the Netherlands and you are interested to apply, please feel free to do so but we can only take your application on if a decision is made to also recruit outside of the Netherlands.

  ABOUT UNILEVER

  With 3.4 billion people in over 190 countries using our products every day, Unilever is a business that makes a real impact on the world. Work on brands that are loved and improve the lives of our consumers and the communities around us. We are driven by our purpose: to make sustainable living commonplace, and it is our belief that doing business the right way drives superior performance. At the heart of what we do is our people – we believe that when our people work with purpose, we will create a better business and a better world.

  At Unilever, your career will be a unique journey, grounded in our inclusive, collaborative, and flexible working environment. We don’t believe in the ‘one size fits all’ approach and instead we will equip you with the tools you need to shape your own future.

  
  We want our business to flourish, and we know that our success depends on others flourishing around us. That's why our purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace, and why sustainable, long-term growth is at the heart of our business model.

  UNILEVER HIVE IN WAGENINGEN

  Since 2019 Unilever R&D has its Global Foods Innovation Centre in Wageningen (Hive), the Netherlands. In this way Unilever creates critical mass in expertise areas to ensure that the technologies ultimately bring benefit-led, breakthrough innovations that are good for People and Planet. In addition, we aim to evolve our R&D sites into innovation ecosystems to leverage the knowledge and expertise of external partners.

  MAIN JOB PURPOSE:

  The Regional Design Centre (RDC) Nutrition Europe is responsible for technical leadership and delivery of the business continuity agenda, cost-saving program, core portfolio framework, innovations, and renovations agenda for Nutrition Business Unit Europe. It drives functional excellence whilst effectively combining relevant culinary, nutritional, and technology skills and deploying existing and validated new technologies.

  The described vacancy is for an End-to-End Product Development Technologist role in RDC Nutrition Europe in Dressings while being a key country contact for DACH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland).

  Your deep knowledge of the technologies and available capabilities in-house and at external manufacturing networks (3rd Party Manufacturing (3PM)/Collaborative Manufacturer (CM)), combined with your curiosity about solving consumer problems, will result in bringing the right solutions to the European markets. In developing solutions, you drive functional excellence whilst effectively combining the relevant culinary, nutritional (diet & health), technical, and market knowledge to design products consumers need.

  As part of the role, you will be responsible for product development (lab, up scaling in pilot plant & factory), project management and leadership in projects across EU &UKI regions and key business partnering the DACH region on topics that need technical/R&D support.

  WHAT WILL YOUR MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES BE?

  • Contribute to the delivery of projects End-to-End: innovation/renovation/5S/Supply Chain transformation.

  • First Point of Contact for DACH region, meaning

    • Business partnering country Marketing Director and team

    • Develop and maintain understanding of local regulatory & legal requirements, consumer insights, competitor landscape

    • Front line support with customers (e.g. trade cascades)

  • Build product briefs taking into account local consumer needs & local compliance rules as well as Unilever diet & health commitments on positives nutrition and sustainable packaging.

  • Develop product formulations and processing according to the business brief (using input from key countries), processability and safety requirements.

  • Perform and lead all required: product development activities on kitchen and laboratory level, process development activities via scaling up at pilot plant trials (including physical-chemical analyses and product tastings) and factory trials (including physical-chemical analyses and product tastings).

  • Implementation of projects in Sourcing Units and 3PM’s/CM’s based on Design specifications ensuring compliance with:

    • Consumer Safety Framework and relevant Good Manufacturing Practice

    • Internal procedures and documentation standards

  • Develop claims, product naming, and demos at EU level, ensure approval for each launch country with local Regulatory Affairs and Legal.

  • Create for the core portfolio selling stories, and Q&A documents that can be used locally.

  • Lead Technical Risk Assessments in projects.

  • To contribute to group and site culture and team building.

  • Act proactively and manage workload efficiently within project timelines.

  • Work in multi-functional teams (with Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, Customer Strategy and Planning and other associated functions).

  • To ensure full compliance with the Unilever Code of Business Principles and all relevant SHE, QA, and other policies and legislation.

  KEY REQUIREMENTS

  • A degree (WO/University level) in Food Technology/Food Chemistry/Chemical Engineering/Biochemical Engineering/Bioprocess Engineering or related Technology/Engineering disciplines.

  • Preferably experienced (2 to 5 years) with Dressings or other related food product development, upscaling and implementation in factories.

  • Experienced in lab scale prototyping and conducting pilot plant and factory trials

  • Good project management skills.

  • Good stakeholder management skills.

  • Preferably fluent in German. Knowledge of other European languages is a plus.

  • Experienced in working in multi-cultural teams.

  • Creativity and innovative approach to problem solving and troubleshooting.

  • Good written and oral communication skills (English) in technical and non-technical contexts.

  • Effective in working with virtual teams.

  • Committed to life long learning.

  
  WHAT DOES UNILEVER OFFER
  Unilever is the place where you can be yourself and bring your purpose to life with the work that you do – creating a better business and a better world. We offer an exciting & dynamic work environment where you can make things happen. Furthermore, we offer some great reward and benefits!

  • Attractive total remuneration package; excellent company pension, bonus, share scheme.

  • Flexible cross-disciplinary career opportunities and a wealth of training opportunities & wellbeing resources whenever and wherever.

  • Plenty of company-paid holidays to further ensure your work-life balance is maintained.

  • We encourage an inclusive culture, which comes to life with interchangeable public holidays, paid paternity leave of 6 weeks and our transgender policy.

  • Under the Hybrid Working principles, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 40% in the office or at customers, suppliers or partners to connect and collaborate. For the time you work from home, we will ensure you are well equipped. When you are at the office , you can enjoy our tasty canteen with prepped food and own products.

  • Informal culture and being the first one trying our new products.

  • My Fitness Plan (reduction on your Fitness Subscription).

  • Home work allowance

  • Company laptop and mobile phone

  • Green Mobility Policy.

  EXCITED?

  Join Unilever and our team! To apply, you must do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV and a motivation letter. Your application will be reviewed against our requirements and we will be in touch shortly after the closing date to provide you with an update on the status of your application.

  Looking forward to meeting you!

  Please note this is a Direct Search led by Unilever. Applications from agencies will not be accepted, nor will fees be paid for unsolicited CVs.

  Equal Opportunity Employer: Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, disability, age, parenthood, pregnancy or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against.

  By highlighting the gender diversity at the workplace, Unilever encourages women equally men to apply. If you look for a job after a long career break or after any type of leave, do not hesitate to apply.

  Please save a copy of this vacancy for personal use as it will disappear from the website after closing of the role.

• About the company

  Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in London, England. Unilever's products are available in around 190 countries.

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