Senior Scientist, Dairy Ingredients, Novonesis

Novonesis; Hørsholm; Hybrid; DKK 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Job summary

Novonesis seeks a Scientist, Dairy Ingredients to lead scientific ownership of application development projects, translating customer needs into focused experiments and data-driven conclusions. You will drive trial design, data interpretation, and practical recommendations for dairy ingredients.

You will run trials in laboratories and customer sites, collaborating with technicians and colleagues to build feasible, scientifically sound plans and deliver clear technical support to customers.

Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in dairy science, food science, biotechnology, protein science, process engineering, or related field.
• Experience in dairy ingredients, dairy processing, food ingredients, protein functionality, or enzyme applications.
• Able to translate scientific findings into application performance and practical customer solutions.
• Strong experimental design and data interpretation skills.
• Structured, quality-oriented, collaborative and pragmatic.
• Curious and comfortable using AI tools to support data analysis or planning.
• Strong written and spoken English; able to communicate technical topics to different audiences.
• Willingness to travel to customers, partners, and other Novonesis locations.

Responsibilities

• Take scientific ownership of application development projects from scoping and trial design to conclusions and recommendations.
• Translate customer and market needs into focused experimental plans and new product development.
• Plan and run trials in our laboratories, application facilities, and at customer sites.
• Collaborate with laboratory technicians and colleagues to develop plans that are scientifically sound, practical, and realistic to execute.
• Support customers with technical and application expertise, including in meetings and technical discussions.
• Communicate scientific rationale, results, and recommendations clearly to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Prepare technical reports, presentations, and documentation to support projects and decisions.
• Identify new opportunities that strengthen our future Dairy Ingredients portfolio and capabilities.

Skills

Dairy ingredients experience

Dairy processing experience

Protein functionality

Enzyme applications

AI tools for data analysis

English communication

Travel readiness

Education

Master’s or PhD in relevant field

Tools

AI tools for data analysis

Job description

Interested in a career that matters?

Global protein demand is expected to double by 2050, and consumers increasingly expect high-protein, functional, and clean-label products.

This is fueling strong demand for value-added dairy ingredients such as whey and casein-based proteins, and opening new opportunities to unlock functionality from side streams like lactose and permeate.

If you are passionate about dairy science and want to help turn this demand into real solutions for customers around the world, we would love to hear from you.

Join us as our new Scientist, Dairy Ingredients, and help shape a new strategic growth area for Novonesis, building on our established strengths in enzymes, cultures, dairy processing, and application development. As our new Scientist, you will take scientific ownership of projects that improve the functionality, processing, and value of dairy ingredients. You will translate customer and market needs into focused experimental work, generate fit-for-purpose data, and communicate clear technical conclusions and recommendations, while also supporting customers with your technical expertise.

The role combines experimental science, application understanding, customer engagement, and cross-functional collaboration.

Welcome to the Applied R&D Dairy Ingredients Team

As part of this growing area, you will help shape how Novonesis addresses rising global demand through science-based, application-ready solutions. You will join a growing Dairy Ingredients team within Applied R&D and work closely with laboratory technicians, scientists, sales and marketing.

Our team operates globally and is responsible for the technical scope within Dairy Ingredients, including application development, new product development, and technical support to customers. This means you will not only develop solutions, but also support customers in applying them successfully.

You will be responsible for scientific direction and experimental design, working closely with colleagues to ensure that plans are practical, well understood, and realistic to execute.

The position offers an opportunity to help shape our technical capabilities, ways of working, and future portfolio for Dairy Ingredients.

In this role, you will make an impact by

• Taking scientific ownership of application development projects from scoping and trial design through data interpretation, conclusions, and recommendations.

• Translating customer and market needs into focused experimental plans and new product development.

• Planning and running trials in our laboratories, application facilities, and at customer sites.

• Working closely with laboratory technicians and colleagues to develop plans that are scientifically sound, practical, and realistic to execute.

• Supporting customers with technical and application expertise, including in meetings and technical discussions.

• Communicating scientific rationale, results, and recommendations clearly to customers and internal stakeholders.

• Preparing technical reports, presentations, and documentation to support projects and decisions.

• Identifying new opportunities that strengthen our future Dairy Ingredients portfolio and capabilities.

What you’ll need to be successful

• Master’s degree or PhD in dairy science, food science, biotechnology, protein science, process engineering, or a related field.

• Experience from dairy ingredients, dairy processing, food ingredients, protein functionality, or enzyme applications.

• Ability to translate scientific findings into application performance and practical customer solutions.

• Strong experimental design and data interpretation skills.

• Structured and quality-oriented, with a collaborative and pragmatic approach that draws on input from colleagues to strengthen plans and decisions.

• Curious and comfortable using AI tools to support data analysis, experimental planning, or day-to-day ways of working.

• Strong written and spoken English, including communicating technical topics to different audiences.

• Willingness to travel to customers, partners, and other Novonesis locations when relevant.

Additional skills & interests we value

We would particularly value:

You are scientifically curious, pragmatic, and motivated by creating solutions that are useful to customers.

You take ownership of your work while recognizing that strong results are created together. You engage colleagues with different expertise, communicate your reasoning clearly, and use relevant input to strengthen projects and decisions.

You combine attention to scientific quality with an understanding that more detail is not always more value, and you can balance scientific depth with project priorities and customer needs. You communicate openly, create clarity on progress and decisions, and contribute positively to a collaborative, global working environment.

Ways of Working

This position is based in Denmark, with Hørsholm as the primary workplace and regular collaboration in Lyngby. We work in a flexible hybrid setup that combines office collaboration with the opportunity to work from home when relevant. The role involves close interaction with globally distributed stakeholders and teams and benefits from an active on-site presence and strong cross-functional engagement.

Relevant Information

Location: Hørsholm as primary location with presence in Lyngby

Application deadline: 11 November 2026

Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis

Contact: Jonatan Ulrik Fangel, Dairy Ingredient Manager, at [e-mail]

Our purpose guides the way

In Novonesis, we know that solutions rooted in biology can help solve humanity’s biggest challenges. Since we began more than a century ago, this has been our guide. It’s how we’ve gotten so far. And it’s how we’ll impact the future. Now, more than ever, the world needs change. And with biosolutions, the possibilities for transformation are endless. If our purpose resonates with you, we encourage you to apply.

Opportunities for everyone

We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process and equal opportunity for all applicants. Therefore we ask you to apply without a cover letter or photo and instead include a few sentences in your CV explaining your motivation for applying.

We make all employment decisions based on business needs and welcome candidates with a wide range of backgrounds, including ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status.

Explore other openings

If this position isn’t the right fit, you may still find other opportunities with us. You’re welcome to explore open roles or create a job agent to stay connected with future opportunities at novonesis.com/Career