Application Scientist - Food

Does Recruitment; Gland; On-site; CHF 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Planetary is recruiting for a full-time Application Scientist to work closely with the sales & R&D team to develop our mycelium-based meat and dairy alternative protein business. The role requires experience in recipe development for consumer appealing products.

Reporting into the Commercial Director and the CPO, the candidate will collaborate closely with sales, business development, (trade) marketing and fermentation R&D team, centred around activities to enable Planetary's

Qualifications

• Affinity with the food sector and a passion for food innovation.
• 2–5 years of experience in meat or vegan/vegetarian industries.
• Hands-on experience with application processing and pilot plant equipment.
• Ability to translate science into consumer-ready products.
• Good command of English; German and/or French a strong plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and sample concepts in meat and dairy style products based on mycoprotein.
• Guide fermentation process changes and assess effects on product attributes.
• Manage the food development kitchen and analytical laboratory.
• Present raw material concepts to prospective clients in Switzerland and abroad.
• Collaborate with sales and product teams to roll out new applications.

Skills

Food science

Recipe development

Fermentation

Team collaboration

Multilingual communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field

Tools

Pilot plant equipment

Job description

About the job Application Scientist - Food

About planetary

Planetary is building the future of food through large-scale fermentation. Based in Switzerland, we produce high-quality, sustainable ingredients that help food companies create better products without compromise on taste, texture, or nutrition.

At the heart of our portfolio is Libre® mycoprotein: a minimally processed, whole-food ingredient grown through natural fermentation. It delivers complete protein (PDCAAS 0.997) comparable to top animal sources, with added fibre and a naturally meat-like texture - unlocking new possibilities across meat alternatives, hybrid products, and entirely new food categories. All this below the price of chicken meat.

We partner with food brands, manufacturers, and foodservice leaders to bring innovative, delicious products to market, from concept to launch. We recently closed a €23M Series A led by Oetker Ventures and Royal Cosun, giving us the fuel to scale Libre® into more kitchens, factories, and supermarket shelves worldwide.

Job Description

The Position:

Planetary is recruiting for a full-time Application Scientist to work closely together with the sales & R&D team to develop our mycelium-based meat and dairy alternative protein business. The role requires experience in recipe development for consumer appealing products. Reporting into the Commercial Director and the CPO, the candidate will collaborate closely with sales, business development, (trade) marketing and fermentation R&D team, and is centred around the following activities to enable planetary's strategic objective of building and servicing a global network of industrial-scale bioprocessing facilities:

• Develop and sample a range of concepts in meat style and dairy style products based on fungal biomass/mycoprotein around and precision fermented protein such as egg albumin, casein, and whey protein
• Build experience in emerging categories such as hybrid meat products, protein fortification and nutraceutical applications around gut-microbiome / GLP1 context
• Provide guidance and advise to the fermentation team on effects of changes to the fermentation process on physical, chemical, and microbial attributes of the mycoprotein or finished product
• Manage the company facilities and infrastructure of the food development kitchen and the analytical laboratory
• Presentation of raw material and food products, including concept ideas to prospective clients in Switzerland and abroad, when required
• Ensure mycoprotein functionality meets customer requirements in final products
• Assist in troubleshooting application challenges in collaboration with customers
• Contribute to the rollout of new applications in partnership with sales / product teams
• Collaborate with the commercial team in preparing product information, general process flow charts and pricing material

Preferred Experience

• Qualifications and Experience:
  • Affinity with the food sector, we like to have foodies in the house!
  • Bachelor's degree in Food Science or a related field
  • 2-5 years of experience in the meat or vegan / vegetarian industry
  • Hands-on experience with application processing and pilot plant equipment ideally
  • Proven ability to assist in developing new application, improving existing formulations, and ensuring product consistency
  • Basic understanding of chemical and microbiological aspects of consumer products, with a focus on great taste, quality and safety
  • Experience with ingredient functionality and its impact on texture, taste, product stability
  • Ability to communicate in English, German and/ or French a strong plus

Recruitment Process

Planetary is an equal opportunity employer actively recruiting for diversity. Through hiring, we aim to close the gender gap, create opinion plurality, fight age discrimination, foster cultural diversity and promote freedom of self-expression.