Senior Scientist, Taste Fermentation & Innovation

Kerry Group; Naas; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Kerry Group is seeking a Senior Scientist- Taste Fermentation to lead development of fermentation-derived savoury taste ingredients, including yeast extracts. You will drive projects from concept to commercialization, interfacing with fermentation science, food tech, manufacturing, and customer innovation.

Applicants should hold MSc/PhD in a relevant field and have hands-on fermentation experience, with strong data analysis and cross-functional communication skills.

Qualifications

• MSc or PhD in relevant science with fermentation focus.
• Hands-on fermentation experience with yeast, bacteria, or fungi.
• Strong ability to design and interpret scientific studies and translate findings into business outcomes.
• Excellent problem-solving and cross-functional communication.

Responsibilities

• Lead development, optimization, and commercialization of fermentation-derived savoury ingredients.
• Drive innovation projects from concept through laboratory development to market launch.
• Identify new technology opportunities for differentiated ingredient platforms.
• Design and execute lab, pilot, and manufacturing trials to evaluate process performance and product quality.
• Analyze data and generate insights to support project progression.
• Provide scientific troubleshooting across fermentation processes and applications.
• Communicate findings via reports, presentations, and stakeholder updates.
• Monitor emerging trends in fermentation and flavour technologies.
• Collaborate with Commercial, Business Development and Applications teams to meet customer needs.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement and Supply Chain for successful tech transfer.

Skills

Fermentation process development

Scale-up experience

Data analysis & interpretation

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Strong communication skills

Willingness to travel

Education

MSc or PhD in Fermentation, Food Science, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Bioprocess Engineering, or related

Hands-on fermentation experience with yeast, bacteria, or fungi

Experience developing and commercializing fermentation-derived food ingredients

Knowledge of savoury food systems and ingredient functionality

Experience with microbial strain development or related biotech techniques

Tools

HPLC

GC

Analytical software

Job description

Kerry Group is seeking a Senior Scientist- Taste Fermentation to lead development of fermentation-derived savoury taste ingredients, including yeast extracts. You will drive projects from concept to commercialization, interfacing with fermentation science, food tech, manufacturing, and customer innovation.

Applicants should hold MSc/PhD in a relevant field and have hands-on fermentation experience, with strong data analysis and cross-functional communication skills.