Principal Flavourist Lead - Savoury EU (m/f/d)

Givaudan; Kemptthal; Hybrid; CHF 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Learning & development

Remote work day per week

Pension fund contributions

Meal subsidies at staff restaurant

Travel & accident coverage

Job summary

Givaudan in Kemptthal seeks a Principal Flavourist Lead to guide the European savoury flavourist community and drive flavour innovation. You will mentor talent, align regional goals with global S&T plans, and partner with cross‑functional teams to deliver differentiated flavour solutions.

The role requires extensive leadership, experience across countries, and expertise in flavour formulation and sensory evaluation to accelerate speed to market and deliver customer value.

Qualifications

• Bachelor or Master in food science, chemistry, biology or similar.
• 20+ years of experience as a flavourist, mainly in savoury.
• Experience across multiple countries and leadership roles.
• Advanced flavour formulation and sensory evaluation expertise.
• Strong communication and ability to translate complex topics.

Responsibilities

• Lead the European savoury flavourist community and promote innovation.
• Represent region in global expert communities and partner with customers.
• Define strategic frameworks and integrate new digital tools into creation processes.

Skills

Flavour formulation

Sensory evaluation

Digital tools & data analytics

Sustainable sourcing

Strategic collaboration

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in food science/chemistry/biology

Job description

Join us and celebrate the beauty of human experience. Create for happier, healthier lives, with love for nature. Together, with passion and creativity, we deliver food innovations, craft inspired fragrances and develop beauty and wellbeing solutions. There’s much to learn and many to learn from, with more than 17,000 employees around the world to explore ideas and ambitions with. Every day, your talent, your innovative spirit, and your determination will shape our future, making a positive difference on billions of people. Every essence of you enriches our world. We are Givaudan. Human by nature.

As Principal Flavourist Lead, you will serve as the leading expert for the European Savoury segment, driving innovation, technical excellence, and best practices across the flavour creation community. You will develop and mentor talent to build future capabilities, strengthen commercial and business expertise, and create differentiated flavour solutions that reinforce Givaudan's competitive advantage in the savoury market.

You will be based in Kemptthal and reporting directly to the Creation Director Europe.

In This Exciting Role You Will Be Responsible For

Functional Leadership of the Savoury Flavourist Community

• Lead the European flavourist community, promoting knowledge sharing, collaboration, and innovation.
• Represent Region in global expert communities of practice to ensure regional relevance in flavour innovation.
• Accountable for talent and development process within the regional flavour community, by active participation in training and learning programmes for flavourists.

Creation Excellence and Innovation

• Define and oversee strategic frameworks, tools and design identity goals supporting flavour excellence and innovation. Aligning them with our performance goals.
• Be the spokesperson for Savoury flavour expertise, representing the function to other teams, industry associations, and key customers.
• Integrate new digital tools into flavour creation processes, being a champion to the wider community to promote use and to enhance efficiency.

Regional Innovation and Customer Partnership

• Lead mid‑term development programmes, connecting with the sub‑regions to understand their needs, then translating global S&T plans into successful and profitable commercial solutions for the region.
• Partner with cross‑functional teams (Commercial, S&T, Procurement, Regulatory, Operations, Pricing & Controlling) to improve and deliver superior flavour performance.
• Serve as a strategic partner to strategic customers, representing Givaudan's creation capabilities in top to top strategic discussions.

Your Professional Profile Includes

• Bachelor or Master's degree in food science, Chemistry, Biology or similar
• Minimum 20 years of experience as a flavourist - majority within the savoury segment
• Experience across multiple countries
• Experience technical leadership, innovation and community engagement
• Advanced expertise in flavour formulation and sensory evaluation, delivering innovative flavour solutions that meet market needs and guide commercial success
• Engaging communicator, translating complex topics into clear, applicable insights that influence decisions and foster organizational agreement
• Expertise in digital tools, data analytics, sustainable sourcing, and modelling to accelerate speed to market, and deliver customer value
• Experience connecting technical innovation to strategic results, influencing investment decisions, and strengthening market leadership

Your Benefits In Kemptthal

• Excellent opportunities for progressive learning and development
• 40 hour working week
• 1 remote working day per week
• Additional paid days off
• Favorable pension fund contributions
• Subsidized meals in the Staff restaurant
• Sport and leisure club (amenities/showers on site)
• Discounts at the company shop
• Subsidized: REKA vouchers and SBB half fare travelcard
• Worldwide private accident coverage and free choice of hospital
• Worldwide private accident insurance
• Additional family/education allowance

At Givaudan, you contribute to delightful taste and scent experiences that touch people’s lives.

We value the different perspectives that come from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.

Everyone — regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, culture, religion, or any personal circumstances — is warmly welcomed at Givaudan, a place where we all love to be and grow.

Every essence of you enriches our world. Join us in making a difference together.