Cocoa Systems Lab Lead — R&D & Data-Driven Insights

Barry Callebaut Group; Lebbeke; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Barry Callebaut Group seeks an R&D Laboratory Lead – Cocoa Systems Science to drive experimental capabilities across cocoa research programs. You will translate priorities into robust experimental designs, analytical strategies and actionable knowledge while collaborating with project teams.

You will own the lab capability roadmap, support data capture and analytics with LIMS and Power BI, and act as a scientific interface with R&D, QA, Operations and external partners.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Food Science, Food Technology, Engineering, Chemistry or related discipline.
• R&D background: Minimum 7 years in food/ingredient R&D laboratory environments.
• Strong grasp of experimental design, analytical science and data interpretation.
• Ability to translate business priorities into practical experimental setups.
• Experience aligning multidisciplinary teams and external partners.
• Strong writing and verbal skills to explain technical conclusions.

Responsibilities

• Implement experimental strategies across Cocoa Systems Science projects with robust design.
• Define experimental programs by identifying methods, technologies and capabilities.
• Develop and coordinate laboratory capabilities to support programs.
• Provide scientific and technical expertise to project teams and interpret results.
• Coordinate analytical approaches across internal R&D and QA labs and partners.
• Translate results into insights to support project decisions.
• Own lab capability roadmap and digitalization, including LIMS and Power BI dashboards.
• Interface with R&D, QA, Operations, Sourcing and external partners.
• Apply good experimental practices and scientific rigor across activities.

Skills

Cross-functional coordination

Data analysis

Scientific communication

Experiment design

Autonomy / hands-on

Education

Master’s degree or PhD in Food Science

Tools

LIMS

Power BI

Job description

Barry Callebaut Group seeks an R&D Laboratory Lead – Cocoa Systems Science to drive experimental capabilities across cocoa research programs. You will translate priorities into robust experimental designs, analytical strategies and actionable knowledge while collaborating with project teams.

You will own the lab capability roadmap, support data capture and analytics with LIMS and Power BI, and act as a scientific interface with R&D, QA, Operations and external partners.