Senior Scientist I (Fixed-term contract)

Mondelēz International; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Mondelēz International in the UK is seeking a seasoned RDQ Product Development professional to lead cross-functional teams in developing and maintaining confectionery portfolios. You will plan, coordinate, and execute technical projects from bench to launch, ensuring consumer-focused specifications and quality.

The role involves steering pilot plant and factory trials, leveraging digital simulation tools, and collaborating with marketing, procurement, and supply chain to deliver products that

Qualifications

• Previous significant experience in Product Development (RDQ) & innovation in FMCG
• Experience in Chocolate and/or Confectionery within UK & Europe
• Technical knowledge of food manufacturing technologies, ingredients & processes

Responsibilities

• Plan, lead and coordinate technical RDQ projects in line with marketing and manufacturing requirements
• Coordinate pilot plant and factory trials in accordance with good manufacturing practice and HACCP
• Develop consumer-led specifications and lead stakeholder decisions based on data interpretations
• Collaborate with Marketing/Commercial/Procurement/Supply Chain to deliver Products/Processes meeting consumer expectations

Skills

Leading RDQ teams

Cross-functional collaboration

Prioritization

Data interpretation

Stakeholder management

Mentoring

Education

BS or MS in Food Science & Technology or related field

Tools

Digital simulation models

Job description

Job Description

Are You Ready to Make It Happen at Mondelēz International?

Join our Mission to Lead the Future of Snacking. Make It With Pride.

Working as part of a cross-functional team you lead the RDQ activities required to complete new product development and maintain portfolios and/or productivity projects keeping in mind the goal to deliver the desired consumer experience.

How you will contribute

You will work independently to plan, lead and coordinate technical projects in line with RDQ, marketing and manufacturing requirements You will effectively communicate status and risks and plan, lead and coordinate pilot plant and factory trials in accordance with good manufacturing practice and HACCP requirements. In addition, you will plan, lead and coordinate development activities (e.g. product shelf-life testing, designing for quality, consumer test preparation. etc.). To provide direction for product development, you will use digital simulation models to obtain, understand and interpret consumer insights and commercial information. In this role, you will create and maintain accurate consumer-led specifications and be responsible for stakeholder management and influencing decisions based on conclusions made from analysis and interpretation of results.

What you will bring

A desire to drive your future and accelerate your career and the following experience and knowledge:

• Leading RDQ teams and influencing cross-functional teams
• Handling multiple priorities
• Proactively identifying complex technical or business problems and creating and implementing solutions
• Applying technical curiosity and understanding to interpret and analyze data
• Effectively influencing senior-level and cross-functional stakeholders verbally and in writing, including writing technical report conclusions
• Coaching and mentoring others

More about this role

More about this role

This role is based in Bournville/Wroclaw, R&D centre within the Beyond the Core Innovation team of the Global Chocolate Technology Organization. This team is working on front end product development innovation projects for our most loved brands including Cadbury and Milka across the globe. The ideal candidate brings strong technical expertise, a consumer-focused mindset, curiosity, and problem-solving skills, while ensuring adherence to technical policies and procedures. The role involves collaborating with cross-functional project teams, including marketing, procurement, suppliers, external manufacturers, and other RDQ functions.

Education/Certifications: BS or MS equivalent in Food Science & technology, Chemical Engineering or related field.

Job specific requirements:

• Previous significant experience in Product Development (RDQ) & innovation in FMCG and/or contract research companies with exposure to applied, industry driven innovation.

• Experience in Chocolate and/or Confectionery within UK & Europe is a strong advantage.

• Technical knowledge of food manufacturing technologies, ingredients & processes.

What you will bring

A desire to drive your future and accelerate your career and the following experience and knowledge:

• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects, prioritize, and manage complexity- from bench top to execution and work through others when needed.

• Applying fundamental technical understanding and curiosity to interpret and analyze data to reach clear conclusions & propose recommendations.

• Communicating effectively verbally and in writing, including technical writing

• Document methodologies, assumptions and findings clearly to enable knowledge transfer and scalability.

• Ensure technical rigor in project delivery consulting with appropriate SME’s & peer review processes.

• Independently organize and conduct a complex pilot plant or plant trial, coordinating the work with others.

• Working in collaboration with Marketing/Commercial/Procurement/ Supply Chain to provide Products/Processes that meet/exceed consumer expectations whilst delivering the benefits for the business.

• Demonstrates resilience and perseverance by leveraging networks, digital tools, expert knowledge, and continuous learning to overcome challenges, while embracing difficulties with a coaching mindset.

• Have good understanding of specification management and other technical process like shelf life and consumer testing as part of product development activities

• Stay Current with emerging technologies and consumer trends.

• Demonstrates proactive use and understanding of digital technologies-such as AI, modelling & simulation, and virtual reality to drive innovation and identify new opportunities within the role. Actively seeks and implements digital solutions to enhance processes and project outcomes.

What extra ingredients you will bring:

• Consumer centric - effectively integrates consumer insights and enterprise past data to drive consumer-centric product design, proactively addressing design tensions through cross-functional collaboration.

• Problem solving - comfortable with navigating ambiguity in project work and complexity using rigorous logic to iteratively assess, quantify, and solve problems.

• Translate front-end opportunities into well-defined research questions and actionable test plans.

IMPORTANT: This is a 1-year full-time contract.

Travel requirements: 5-10% within Europe & UK.

Work schedule: standard working hours (Mon-Fri), with in-office expectations of 3 days per week.

No Relocation support available

Business Unit Summary

At Mondelēz International, our purpose is to empower people to snack right by offering the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way. That means delivering a broad range of delicious, high-quality snacks that nourish life's moments, made with sustainable ingredients and packaging that consumers can feel good about.

We have a rich portfolio of strong brands globally and locally including many household names such as Oreo, belVita and LU biscuits; Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate; Sour Patch Kids candy and Trident gum. We are proud to hold the top position globally in biscuits, chocolate and candy and the second top position in gum.

Our 80,000 makers and bakers are located in more than 80 countries and we sell our products in over 150 countries around the world. Our people are energized for growth and critical to us living our purpose and values. We are a diverse community that can make things happen—and happen fast.

Mondelēz International is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or preference, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Job Type

Temporary (Fixed Term)

Product development

Science & Engineering