Senior Scientist & Technical Project Lead, Baking Applied R&D, Lyngby - Novonesis

Novonesis; Kongens Lyngby; On-site; DKK 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Novonesis in Lyngby, Denmark, is seeking a Senior Scientist & Technical Project Lead to drive scientific direction in baking cultures and biotechnologies. You will lead strategic projects, translate objectives into technical priorities, and guide decision-making across functions and regions.

You will mentor colleagues and collaborate with business development, R&D, and regional centers to advance the cultures platform and improve dough systems, fermentation, and product quality.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in cereal science, food science, biotechnology, biochemistry, microbiology or another relevant scientific field.
• Proven ability to provide technical leadership in complex, cross-functional development projects.
• Demonstrated ability to create alignment, influence decisions and drive technical progress across functions, regions and organizational levels without formal authority.
• A strong record of experimental design, analysis of complex datasets and translation of scientific findings into decisions and recommendations.
• Strong digital capabilities and hands-on experience with tools such as JUMP, Benchling and AI-enabled solutions to design experiments, analyze complex datasets and support scientific decisions.

Responsibilities

• Acting as technical lead on strategic baking projects, in close partnership with the commercial lead and the project core group.
• Defining the technical direction, scientific hypotheses, success criteria and priorities across workstreams.
• Building and advancing the cultures platform in baking, including understanding culture functionality, fermentation performance and opportunities for differentiated solutions.
• Translating strategic business opportunities and market needs into focused scientific questions and practical development plans.
• Creating technical alignment across scientists, regional application teams, business development and external collaborators.
• Ensuring scientific quality, consistent methods and effective knowledge integration across activities conducted in different locations.
• Designing robust experiments and application trials using appropriate controls, statistical approaches and reproducible methods.
• Analyzing experimental, analytical, sensory and application data to generate clear recommendations and support technical decisions.
• Developing mechanistic understanding that connects microbial physiology and metabolism with fermentation behavior, dough systems, processing conditions and final product quality.
• Identifying opportunities where cultures can create value alone or in combination with enzymes and other biosolutions.
• Communicating technical progress, uncertainties, risks and recommendations clearly to scientific, business and leadership stakeholders.
• Mentoring colleagues and strengthening capability through scientific discussion, feedback and knowledge sharing.

Skills

Scientific leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Experimental design

Data analysis

Education

MSc or PhD in cereal science or related

Tools

JUMP

Benchling

AI-enabled solutions

Job description

Interested in a career that matters?

Join us as our new Senior Scientist & Technical Project Lead, Baking Applied R&D

Are you motivated by combining deep scientific expertise with technical leadership to shape the future of baking?

We are looking for an experienced scientist who can help build our cultures platform, strengthen our baking-science capability and provide technical leadership for strategic innovation projects.

In this role, you will combine strong scientific expertise, application understanding and stakeholder leadership to guide technical direction, create alignment across functions and regions, and drive evidence-based decisions throughout the development journey.

This is a senior scientific role with broad responsibility across projects, functions and geographies. Working in close partnership with a dedicated business development manager, you will lead the technical and scientific dimensions of strategic projects: translating strategic objectives into technical priorities, aligning workstreams and guiding key scientific decisions.

Welcome to Baking Applied R&D

Baking Applied R&D is part of the Food & Beverages organization at Novonesis. We develop new biosolutions for baked goods across enzymes, cultures and other biological technologies. Our work spans across the applied-research value chain, from translating customer and consumer needs into scientific questions to building mechanistic understanding and validating performance from laboratory to pilot-scale baking.

You will join a collaborative, international scientific environment and work closely with business development, R&D, regional application centers, Technical Service and customers. You will help connect cultures and fermentation knowledge with a deep understanding of flour, dough, processing and baked-product quality. A key scientific focus will be to apply deep knowledge of yeast and other microorganism physiology, metabolism and diversity to select, characterize and develop cultures with differentiated functionality in baking applications.

In this role you'll make an impact by:

• Acting as technical lead on strategic baking projects, in close partnership with the commercial lead and the project core group.
• Defining the technical direction, scientific hypotheses, success criteria and priorities across workstreams.
• Building and advancing the cultures platform in baking, including understanding culture functionality, fermentation performance and opportunities for differentiated solutions.
• Translating strategic business opportunities and market needs into focused scientific questions and practical development plans.
• Creating technical alignment across scientists, regional application teams, business development and external collaborators.
• Ensuring scientific quality, consistent methods and effective knowledge integration across activities conducted in different locations.
• Designing robust experiments and application trials using appropriate controls, statistical approaches and reproducible methods.
• Analyzing experimental, analytical, sensory and application data to generate clear recommendations and support technical decisions.
• Developing mechanistic understanding that connects microbial physiology and metabolism with fermentation behavior, dough systems, processing conditions and final product quality.
• Identifying opportunities where cultures can create value alone or in combination with enzymes and other biosolutions.
• Communicating technical progress, uncertainties, risks and recommendations clearly to scientific, business and leadership stakeholders.
• Mentoring colleagues and strengthening capability through scientific discussion, feedback and knowledge sharing.

Qualifications Needed To Succeed

• An MSc or PhD in cereal science, food science, biotechnology, biochemistry, microbiology or another relevant scientific field.
• Proven ability to provide technical leadership in complex, cross-functional development projects.
• Demonstrated ability to create alignment, influence decisions and drive technical progress across functions, regions and organizational levels without formal authority.
• A strong record of experimental design, analysis of complex datasets and translation of scientific findings into decisions and recommendations.
• Strong digital capabilities and hands-on experience with tools such as JUMP, Benchling and AI-enabled solutions to design experiments, analyze complex datasets and support scientific decisions.
• The ability to operate under uncertainty, identify relevant risks and establish clear technical priorities and next steps.
• Clear communication skills across scientific, business, customer and leadership audiences.
• Substantial experience in baking science, the baking industry, baking ingredients or applied food R&D, with strong understanding of flour, dough, processing and baked-product quality.
• Strong knowledge of yeast and other microbial systems, including how physiology, metabolism and strain or species variation influence fermentation and functionality in food applications.

It will be an advantage if you also bring

• Experience developing or evaluating microbial cultures, starter cultures, fermentation processes or culture-enzyme combinations.
• Experience building a new technical platform, capability or scientific area.
• Experience with strategic innovation programs and collaboration with regional application centers or industrial bakeries.

What You Can Expect

You will combine scientific depth, platform building and technical leadership in a role that helps shape the future of baking. You will influence both the development of our cultures platform and the execution of strategic projects, while working with colleagues who value scientific excellence, collaboration, constructive challenge and evidence-based execution.

Application and contact

Location: Lyngby, Denmark

Contact: Tina Lindeløv, Director Baking Applied R&D, [e-mail]

Application deadline: November 12th

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