Customer R&D Specialist

Barry Callebaut Manufacturing Iberica SA.; Banbury; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Barry Callebaut seeks an experienced food science professional to lead technical product development and guide customers on product selection and chocolate handling optimization. You will support on-site trials, train customers, and drive continuous improvement across projects.

The role requires 5+ years in the food industry, strong project management skills, and hands-on experience with product development and customer interaction. On-site role with travel to customer sites as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Food Science or related field.
• Minimum 5 years in the food industry and strong project management experience.
• Proven track record in continuous improvement management.
• Experience in product development and strong application knowledge.
• Experience in sales or client interaction is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Define recipe requirements and collaborate with product experts and process engineers.
• Provide technical guidance to customers on product selection and applications.
• Attend customer sites for new product implementations and advise on business development.
• Maintain customer relations and communicate project status to stakeholders.
• Conduct trials and training sessions on products and applications as needed.
• Ensure regulatory compliance for new products and support smooth scale-up to production.

Skills

Food industry experience

Project management

Continuous improvement

Application knowledge

Client interaction

Education

Bachelor’s / Master’s in Food Science or similar

Tools

MS Office

Salesforce

SAP

Job description

At Barry Callebaut, we are on a journey to transform the cocoa and chocolate industry. As the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products, our actions truly shape the future of our industry. We are a business-to-business company, serving the entire food sector, from the cocoa bean to the finest chocolate product. We are a company with a purpose, we believe in doing well by doing good and reinvesting in the communities we operate. We have a long-standing commitment to sustainability and our goal is to shape a sustainable cocoa and chocolate future.We are headquartered in Zurich, and have more than 12,000 passionate Employees working in more than 40 countries worldwide.We are very proud of who we are and what we do. And of course, we are always looking for talented people to help us have a positive impact on our industry and beyond!

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a key member of the R&D team, you will lead technical product development, driving best-in-class product solutions and sharing deep product expertise across the organization. Acting as a trusted partner to customers, you will provide technical guidance on product selection, applications, and chocolate handling optimization to improve manufacturing efficiency. You will deliver technical support, troubleshoot issues at customer sites, and conduct training sessions on our products and applications. This role is integral to building strong customer partnerships and ensuring exceptional product performance and continuous improvement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Define Recipe Requirements Based on Customer Specs, Reference Material and in Collaboration with Internal Colleagues (Product Expert & Process Engineer).
• Communicate and Align with Customer and Stakeholders on Project Content and Status
• Be present on Customer’s site to work through any new product implementation as well as advising how to develop customers business.
• Maintain and develop customer relations to maintain communication and insights
• Main good overview of customers capabilities, product portfolio, future pipelines and launches.
• Perform Application Tests with the Application Lab with or without Customer, e.g. Trials on New Chocolate, Compounds and Fillings
• Provide on site Technical Advice to Customer on Application during Industrial Trials and to ensure a Smooth Transition to Industrial Scale up (Troubleshooting)
• Identify, Inform and Organise Project Members and Stakeholders, e.g. Establish a Team for Innovation or Large projects, Organize Project Team Meetings
• Ensure Compliance for New Products Through Regulations Knowledge
• Give Application Training to the Customer workforce and internal colleagues when required
• Assess Existing Technology & Equipment and Maintain Knowledge of State of the Art Technological Possibilities for All Kinds of Customer applications
• Log Trials and Results in System (SFDC or other)
• Promote new products to customers, through innovation days and customer visits
• Receive and translate customer briefs for a New or Existing Solution
• Balance Time and Resource Effort vs. Benefits of the Request, e.g. Discuss Feasibility, Assess risks, Ensure Compliance with Business Standards
• Collect Customer Feedback on Sample and Testing’s and Define Next Steps in Product Creation
• Along with QA make a GO/NO GO Decision to Production in Case of OOS and Report the OOS Specificities to Customer
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives re processes, technologies, and organisation
• Ownership and autonomy within the account

ABOUT YOU

• Bachelor’s / Master’s Degree in Food Science or similar field
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in the food industry
• Experience in Project Management
• Proven track record in continuous improvement management
• Experience in a product development, strong application knowledge
• Experience in Sales or client interaction
• Good knowledge of working tools (MS Office, Salesforce, SAP...)

At Barry Callebaut, we are committed to Diversity & Inclusion. United by our strong values, we thrive on the diversity of who we are, where we come from, what we've experienced and how we think. We are committed to nurturing an inclusive environment where people can truly be themselves, grow to their full potential and feel they belong.#oneBC - Diverse People, Sustainable Growth.

If you want to learn more about Barry Callebaut, please find further information here .

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