Beverage Designer

IFF; Lakeland (FL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences, with an onsite role in Lakeland, FL. You will join the Citrus Innovation Center, collaborating with Flavorists and cross-functional teams to transform citrus flavors into finished beverage products.

You will manage prototypes, translate designs for customers, and contribute to innovation programs while traveling to customer engagements as needed.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in beverage applications, product development, flavor applications, or finished-product design.
• Strong working knowledge of beverage formulations, flavor systems, and ingredient functions.
• Demonstrated sensory ability: tasting, evaluating, and explaining performance.
• Experience managing product development or applications projects from concept to completion.
• Strong problem-solving and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Independently develop, formulate, and test beverage products and prototypes, determining dosages.
• Collaborate with Flavorists to translate designs into finished products meeting tech and sensory objectives.
• Support Citrus R&D and customer projects by exploring new materials, tools, and applications.
• Taste and evaluate flavors and ingredients to identify performance issues and improvements.
• Manage projects from concept through scale-up, troubleshooting materials and processes.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Regulatory, and other teams globally.
• Translate technical findings into clear customer presentations and demonstrations.
• Contribute beverage expertise to customer engagements (about 10–30% of time).
• Promote IFF technologies and platforms in relevant applications.

Skills

Beverage applications

Flavor applications

Project management

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science / Food Technology / Chemistry

Job description

Job Summary

Are you passionate about transforming flavor innovation into beverage experiences customers can taste and enjoy?

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products.

Taste: Crafting unique, technology-enabled flavor designs that define the identity of food and beverage brands, shape trends in flavor building and fuel market success.

The role is based in Lakeland, FL, onsite. Join a creative, collaborative, and globally connected team supporting our cutting-edge Citrus Innovation Center. You will partner closely with Flavorists and cross-functional colleagues to transform citrus flavors, ingredients, and technologies into compelling finished beverage products. Together, we will experiment with new tools, identify the right applications and usage levels, and bring meaningful innovation to customers and the market.

We welcome candidates across a range of Designer levels and experience levels. Whether you are continuing to build your expertise or bring more seasoned experience, we are interested in finding the right combination of technical capability, creativity, and potential for the role.

Where You’ll Make a Difference

• Independently develop, formulate, and test finished beverage products and prototypes, determining appropriate flavor dosages and ingredient usage levels.
• Partner closely with Flavorists to translate flavor designs into high-quality finished products that meet technical, sensory, and commercial objectives.
• Support Citrus Research and Development, innovation programs, training initiatives, and customer projects by experimenting with new materials, tools, technologies, and applications.
• Taste and evaluate flavors, ingredients, and finished products to understand performance, identify potential challenges, and recommend improvements.
• Manage projects from initial concept through prototype development and initial scale-up, troubleshooting issues involving raw materials, formulations, processing, and finished-product performance.
• Collaborate across global and local networks, including Sales, Marketing, Flavor Creation, Product Experience, Regulatory Affairs, and other technical teams.
• Translate technical concepts and product findings into clear, engaging presentations and demonstrations for customers and internal stakeholders.
• Contribute beverage expertise to customer engagements, which may represent approximately 10% to 30% of the time.
• Promote IFF technologies and innovation platforms, including Re-Master Citrus™, by identifying relevant commercial applications and demonstrating their value in finished products.

What Makes You The Right Fit

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, or a related scientific or technical discipline.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in beverage applications, product development, flavor applications, or finished-product design. Candidates with strong foundational experience and demonstrated capability may also be considered.
• Strong working knowledge of beverage formulations, flavor systems, recipe ingredients, raw materials, and their functions in finished products.
• Demonstrated sensory ability, including tasting, evaluating, and explaining why a flavor, ingredient, or formulation does or does not perform as expected.
• Experience independently managing product-development or applications projects from concept through completion.
• Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to troubleshoot formulations, raw materials, prototypes, and initial scale-up challenges.
• Effective presentation and communication skills, including the ability to translate technical information for customer and cross-functional audiences.
• Ability to collaborate and build relationships across functions, cultures, and global teams.
• Willingness to participate in customer meetings, presentations, product demonstrations, and occasional customer dinners or related engagements.

How Would You Stand Out?

• Experience within a flavor house, citrus innovation environment, or consumer packaged goods company with a strong emphasis on beverage product development.
• Broader applications experience across food, snacks, or adjacent categories in addition to beverages.
• Experience working with global customers and cross-functional teams, along with a proactive, curious, and collaborative approach to innovation.

Why Choose Us?

• Work at the intersection of flavor creation, beverage design, citrus science, and commercial innovation.
• Collaborate with globally connected Flavorists, scientists, technical experts, and customer-facing teams.
• Experiment with new raw materials, technologies, tools, and proprietary IFF innovation platforms.
• Build hands-on expertise within IFF’s Citrus Innovation Center and contribute to high-impact innovation programs.
• Develop customer-facing, technical presentation, project leadership, and cross-functional collaboration experience.

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and inclusion to learn more