Senior Product Technologist (Innovation)

AG Barr Group; Horwich; Hybrid; GBP 52,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Uncapped bonus

Pension

Up to 34 days holiday

Flexible benefits

Health plan

Staff discount

Job summary

AG Barr, renowned for IRN-BRU, Rubicon, Boost and FUNKIN, seeks a Senior Beverage Technologist for its R&D team. Hybrid role from Middlebrook and home offering scope to lead formulation from concept to launch, develop great tasting liquids, and validate prototypes with strong sensory know-how.

The position requires a degree in Food Science, 5+ years in formulation R&D, and the ability to work with suppliers and manufacturing to scale products while maintaining quality and shelf life.

Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science or equivalent.
• 5 years+ in formulation R&D or similar.
• Excellent sensory skills to detect flavour/aroma/appearance differences.
• Strong knowledge of food/beverage quality systems and spec management.
• Effective communication coordinating complex projects with suppliers and cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work independently with proactive problem solving.
• Good interpersonal skills and relationship building.
• Willingness to travel to manufacturing sites and visit suppliers.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation aspects from concept to launch.
• Create and develop great tasting liquid formulations.
• Validate prototypes using sensory knowledge.
• Value engineer recipes without compromising quality.
• Benchmark competitor products.
• Research and share knowledge on new ingredients.
• Collaborate with innovation team and attend workshops to develop drink ideas.
• Manage introduction of new raw materials using our management system.
• Work with suppliers and manufacturing to scale from lab to production.
• Ensure shelf-life quality and accurate nutrition/recipe specs.
• Provide technical support on consumer and trade enquiries.

Skills

Sensory evaluation

Project coordination

Great communication

Independent working

Interpersonal skills

Travel willingness

Education

Degree in Food Science

Tools

Hamilton Grant/Spec mgmt system

Job description

Job Title: Senior Beverage Technologist

Location: Hybrid from Middlebrook and home

Contract and working pattern: 37.5 hours per week

Are you ready to Be Your Best Barr None?

Lets Grow!!!

We are all about Being Your Best Barr None and having a career with real Moments that Matter!

Employing around 850 people across the UK, we are proud to be a responsible business that takes care of our people, values diversity, gives something back to our communities and works to minimise our environmental impact.

For 150 years AG Barr has been building great brands and is home to some of the nations favourite flavours.

At our core is IRN-BRU, launched in 1901 and still going strong today, the vibrant RUBICON fruit based brand, Boost making every moment better with a caffeine kick, hydration hit or tasty treat, and FUNKIN where real fruit means authentic taste.

We also have a number of exciting owned brands within our portfolio including MOMA, which crafts quality oats into great tasting oat drinks and porridges.

There's never been a better time to join us!

What we’re looking for…

Within R&D at AG Barr we believe that the quality, taste and pack presentation of our products is right at the heart of the success of the business. We pride ourselves in delivering a superior product experience through our rigorous consumer research programme and ensuring the authenticity of our flavours

This role is to design, develop & validate great tasting products in line with consumer expectations whilst leading the formulation aspects of projects, supporting from concept to launch.

As our Senior Beverage Technologist, you will be responsible for:

• Leading the formulation aspects of projects from concept through to launch.
• Creating & developing great tasting liquid formulations.
• Use of strong product development & sensory knowledge to validate prototypes.
• Value engineering existing recipes without impacting on product quality.
• Benchmarking of competitor products.
• Researching & sharing knowledge on new ingredients
• Working with the innovation team and attending innovation workshops to develop new drink ideas.
• Managing the introduction of new raw materials into the business using our raw material and recipe management system.
• Working closely with suppliers and manufacturing teams to ensure the successful scale up from lab trials into production.
• Ensuring product quality is consistent throughout shelf life.
• Generating accurate nutritional and recipe specifications using our raw material and recipe management system.
• Providing technical support on consumer & trade enquiries.

What you’ll bring…

• Educated to degree level, ideally in a Food Science or equivalent discipline.
• 5 years of experience in a formulation R&D environment or equivalent with a strong knowledge of sensory evaluation tools & techniques.
• Excellent sensory skills with the ability to detect subtle differences in flavour, aroma, and appearance to ensure product matching.
• Strong understanding of food/beverage quality systems, specification management (ideally Hamilton Grant or similar), and raw material documentation requirements (e.g COAs).
• Highly effective communication skills, comfortable coordinating complex projects and following up with external suppliers and internal cross-functional teams.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, demonstrating strong self-motivation and proactive problem-solving skills.
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships.
• Flexible and adaptable approach to work, with the ability to manage changing priorities and demands.
• Available to travel to manufacturing sites and to visit suppliers.

You will also demonstrate our AG Barr behaviours of Being Honest, Accountable, Connected and Brave.

What we offer…

We believe in creating a diverse and inclusive culture where your voice can be heard. Our skilled, loyal and committed people are critical to the future success of AG Barr which is why we are continually investing in our employees to develop their talent.

We look after our employees by offering a competitive salary and benefits package which includes;

• Uncapped bonus linked to business performance
• Defined contribution Pension
• Up to 34 days holiday (depending on shift pattern)
• Flexible holiday trading
• Flexible cash pot to spend on benefits
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• Flexible benefits e.g. discounts & cashbacks, gym memberships, technology purchases etc
• Life assurance
• Save as you earn scheme
• Staff sales discount
• Free AG Barr products throughout your working day and staff sales
• Annual salary review
• Ongoing professional development and access to Learning and Development programmes and content

And much more!

To find out more about what it is like to work for AG Barr, please visit our careers platform here.

We are an equal opportunities employer and happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments that may be needed for successful candidates with a disability, health or mental health condition.