Food Scientist

BFree Foods Limited; Crossmaglen; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

BFree Foods Limited, based in Crossmaglen, Northern Ireland, is seeking a Food Scientist to lead development of gluten-free bakery and snacking products. You will drive projects from concept to launch, collaborating with Food Science, Innovation, Operations, and external partners to deliver differentiated products for domestic and international markets.

The role requires a degree in Food Science and at least 5 years’ experience in product development, with strong knowledge of gluten-free

Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science or related discipline.
• Min. 5 years’ experience in food product development.
• Experience in bakery, snacks, or cereal-based products.
• Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality and food manufacturing.
• Product formulation and recipe optimisation.
• Gluten-free ingredient systems and functionality.
• Project management and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support the technical development of new gluten-free products from concept to launch.
• Design, formulate and optimise recipes to achieve quality, nutritional and cost targets.
• Conduct ingredient evaluations and factory trials.
• Develop expertise in gluten-free ingredient systems including hydrocolloids, starches, fibres, proteins, enzymes, and fermentation technologies.
• Understand and optimise dough and baking systems to improve texture, shelf life, nutritional quality and manufacturing robustness.
• Investigate emerging ingredients and technologies that enhance the functionality of gluten-free products.
• Support scale-up, troubleshooting and commercialisation activities.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, allergen and labelling requirements.
• Own the day-to-day operation and continuous improvement of the development laboratory/test bakery, ensuring equipment, methodologies, safety standards and experimental practices support efficient product development.
• Support sensory evaluation programmes and consumer testing activities.
• Benchmark products against competitive and adjacent category offerings.
• Identify innovation opportunities within bakery, snacking, and health-focused categories.

Skills

Food product development

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Ingredient functionality

Quality and safety

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science

Job description

Reports To: Director of Food Science & Innovation

Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Please note: unfortunately we cannot provide visa sponsorship for this role. Candidates must be eligible to work in Northern Ireland.

About BFree

At BFree, we’re all about what can be added to life, note what’s taken away. We are a leader in premium gluten free bakery, focusing on delighting our customers with delicious products that taste great, with quality and safety guaranteed. Our approach has always been to replace ‘less with more’ – more nutritious ingredients, more choice, and more taste. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, our products are sold around the world, and our team is distributed across Ireland, the UK, Europe, Australia, the Unites States, and Canada. Stone Bakery is our state of the art gluten-free production site, located in Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh.

Purpose

The Food Scientist will play a key role in developing and commercialising innovative gluten-free bakery and snacking products that deliver superior consumer experience, nutritional quality, and commercial performance. The role will lead projects from concept through to launch, partnering across Food Science, Innovation, Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Marketing, and external manufacturing partners to deliver differentiated products that support the business's growth ambitions across domestic and international markets.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support the technical development of new gluten-free products from concept to launch.
• Design, formulate and optimise recipes to achieve quality, nutritional and cost targets.
• Conduct ingredient evaluations and factory trials.
• Develop expertise in gluten-free ingredient systems including hydrocolloids, starches, fibres, proteins, enzymes, and fermentation technologies.
• Understand and optimise dough
• and baking systems to improve texture, shelf life, nutritional quality and manufacturing robustness.
• Investigate emerging ingredients and technologies that enhance the functionality of gluten-free products.
• Support scale-up, troubleshooting and commercialisation activities.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, allergen and labelling requirements.
• Own the day-to-day operation and continuous improvement of the development laboratory/test bakery, ensuring equipment, methodologies, safety standards and experimental practices support efficient product development.
• Support sensory evaluation programmes and consumer testing activities.
• Benchmark products against competitive and adjacent category offerings.
• Identify innovation opportunities within bakery, snacking, and health-focused categories.

Skills and Experience

• Degree in Food Science or related discipline.
• Min. 5 years’ experience in food product development.
• Experience in bakery, snacks, or cereal-based products.
• Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality and food manufacturing.
• Product formulation and recipe optimisation.
• Gluten-free ingredient systems and functionality.
• Project management and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.

Desirable Technical Capabilities

• Knowledge of gluten-free baking technologies.
• Understanding of starch science, hydrocolloid systems, and protein functionality.
• Experience with frozen dough, ambient bakery, or baked snacks.
• Experience working with international manufacturing partners.
• Knowledge of sensory science methodologies.
• Familiarity with rheology, texture analysis, and bakery analytical techniques.