Young Graduate R&D & Innovation

Glacier Global; Cavriago; On-site; EUR 26,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

Glacier in Italy is seeking a Young Graduate to join our R&D & Innovation team. You will explore consumer needs, trends and new technologies, and help turn opportunities into commercially successful products.

You’ll work at the intersection of product development, data analytics, and business insight in a dynamic, international food business. Depending on your strengths, you could contribute to early-stage projects through commercialization, analyze data for opportunities, and present insights

Qualifications

• Recent graduate with curiosity, ambition and a willingness to learn.
• Analytical thinker able to translate data into actionable insights.
• Ability to take ownership and drive ideas forward.
• Interest in connecting consumer needs with technology and business value.
• Comfort presenting ideas and collaborating across functions.

Responsibilities

• Support new product and innovation projects from idea to commercialization.
• Identify consumer needs, trends and market opportunities.
• Support product development and translate technical possibilities into consumer propositions.
• Analyze consumer, market and portfolio data to identify opportunities.
• Benchmark competitors and emerging concepts; explore AI-assisted concepts.
• Collaborate with R&D, Marketing, Operations and other teams to bring ideas to life.

Skills

Curiosity

Analytical thinking

Ownership

Leadership potential

Communication

Digital mindset

Business mindset

Education

Food Science or Food Technology

Product Development

Consumer Science

Business, Marketing or Innovation Management

Data Science or Analytics

Engineering

Digital Innovation

Job description

Job detailsR&DCavriagoFull-timeYoung Graduate R&D & Innovation – ItalyLocation: Italy Function: R&D / Innovation Career level: Young Graduate / Early CareerReady to turn ideas into products that make an impact?Are you a recent graduate who is curious about consumers, food, technology and the future of innovation?At Glacier, we are looking for a talented Young Graduate to join our R&D & Innovation environment in Italy. This opportunity is not just about developing products in a laboratory. We are looking for someone who wants to understand what consumers need, explore new technologies and ideas, work with data, and help turn innovation opportunities into commercially successful products.You do not need to know everything from day one. What matters most to us is your potential, curiosity and ambition to learn and make an impact.Your opportunityAs a Young Graduate in R&D & Innovation, you will have the opportunity to work at the intersection of product development, consumer understanding, data, technology and business.Depending on your background and strengths, you could contribute to areas such as:Supporting new product and innovation projects from early-stage ideas through to commercialisation.Identifying consumer needs, trends and emerging market opportunities.Supporting product development and translating technical possibilities into relevant consumer propositions.Analysing consumer, market and portfolio data to help identify innovation opportunities.Benchmarking competitors, products and emerging concepts.Exploring how AI and digital tools can accelerate research, ideation and innovation.Using tools and techniques such as trend analysis, consumer review mining and AI-assisted concept generation.Supporting innovation portfolio and funnel management.Working with colleagues across R&D, Marketing, Operations, Commercial and other functions to bring ideas to life.Presenting insights, recommendations and concepts to different stakeholders.The exact focus can evolve depending on your strengths. We are looking for someone who wants to learn broadly, take ownership and grow quickly.Who are we looking for?We are open to different academic backgrounds. You could, for example, have studied:Food Science or Food TechnologyProduct DevelopmentConsumer ScienceBusiness, Marketing or Innovation ManagementData Science or AnalyticsEngineeringDigital Innovationor another relevant field combining science, consumers, technology and/or business.We are particularly interested in graduates who demonstrate:Curiosity & learning agilityYou enjoy discovering new topics, asking questions and quickly turning new information into action.Analytical thinkingYou are comfortable working with information and data and can translate complexity into clear conclusions.OwnershipYou do not always wait to be told what to do. You take initiative, organise your work and actively look for ways to move things forward.Leadership potentialYou have the ambition and potential to influence others, bring people together and help drive ideas forward, even without formal authority.CommunicationYou can explain your thinking clearly, adapt to different audiences and feel comfortable presenting ideas and recommendations.Digital mindsetYou see AI, data and modern digital tools as opportunities and are curious about how technology can improve the way we innovate.Business & consumer mindsetYou are interested not only in whether something can be developed, but also in whether consumers will want it and whether it can create value for the business.What kind of profile could be a great fit?There is no single ideal background. Three types of profiles could particularly thrive in this opportunity:Business & Consumer Innovation You are fascinated by consumer behaviour, trends and innovation. You enjoy analysing data, communicating ideas and exploring how digital and AI tools can help uncover new opportunities.Food Technology & Product Development You have a strong technical or food-related foundation but want to go beyond traditional product development. You are equally interested in the consumer and commercial side of innovation.Digital & Data Innovation You are excited by the possibilities of data and technology in innovation, from trend scraping and consumer review mining to competitor benchmarking, portfolio analytics and AI-assisted concept generation.You don't need to fit perfectly into one of these profiles. We are more interested in your potential than in ticking every box.The mindset we valueFor this opportunity, we are not looking for someone who wants to focus exclusively on highly specialised laboratory or academic research.We are looking for someone who wants to connect the dots between:Consumer needs Ideas Technology Product CommercialisationSomeone who is curious enough to explore, analytical enough to challenge assumptions, confident enough to share ideas and entrepreneurial enough to make things happen.Why join Glacier?This is an opportunity to start your career in an environment where you can gain exposure beyond a narrowly defined graduate role.You will have the chance to:Work on real innovation challenges and projects.Develop both your technical and business understanding.Collaborate with experienced colleagues across different functions.Build your leadership, communication and problem-solving capabilities.Experiment with new technologies and approaches to innovation.Take responsibility early in your career.Discover where your strengths can create the greatest impact within an international food business.Most importantly, we want to give talented graduates the opportunity to learn, contribute and grow.Interested?If you are finishing your studies or have recently graduated and are excited by the combination of food, consumers, innovation, data and technology, we would love to hear from you.Don't worry if you don't meet every single point above. If you are curious, ambitious and believe you have the potential to make a difference, we encourage you to .Join us and help shape the next generation of innovation at Glacier.