Beverage Innovation Developer | Customer-Focused Growth

Vibrant Ingredients; Cranbury Township (NJ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Vibrant Ingredients seeks a Beverage Developer to advance our beverage portfolio in partnership with customers, sales, flavor creation, and applications teams. The role emphasizes technical beverage expertise, project leadership, and strong customer interaction to translate concepts into market-ready solutions.

You will work in our state-of-the-art customer innovation center, collaborating with flavorists and product scientists.

Qualifications

• Science degree in Food Science or Food Engineering.
• Proven beverage development experience in the Food Service or beverage industry.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes and delivery technologies.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Proficiency in MS Office and Salesforce.

Responsibilities

• Develop beverage solutions for customers across categories from concept to commercialization.
• Manage projects to successful outcomes and coordinate with cross-functional teams.
• Support customer visits with sales.
• Conduct stability testing, documentation, and costing for new products.

Skills

Beverage development

Project management

Communication

Presentation skills

Customer-facing

Travel up to 25%

Protein beverages

Flavor development

Education

B.S. in Food Science / Food Engineering

Tools

MS Office

Salesforce

Job description

JOB SUMMARY:We are a trusted partner to our customers when it comes to innovation and an industry leader in clean label ingredients, we are a true partner. We collaborate with our customers in ways that respect people and the environment. A commitment to Purely Better™ drives our innovation team to discover new, on trend solutions. Collaborate with flavorists and product development scientists throughout the innovation process.

As a Beverage Developer, they will support the growth of our beverage portfolio. This role will work directly with customers, sales, flavor creation and applications teams to develop winning beverage solutions utilizing Vibrant’s extensive portfolio of natural ingredients.

The ideal candidate is a highly technical beverage expert with strong project management skills and a passion for working with customers to bring innovative beverage concepts to life.

How will you contribute:

At Vibrant, you'll find more than an exciting career opportunity. You'll be working in a new state of the art customer innovation center and join a team passionate about science, innovation, and helping customers succeed. Our collaborative culture encourages curiosity, creativity, and continuous learning while providing opportunities to make meaningful contributions from day one. Whether partnering with world class flavorists, supporting customer innovation, or helping develop the next generation of food and beverage solutions, your work will make a visible impact.

• Beverage Development Skills: > 6 years’ experience, with a proven track record of sales in the beverage categories
• Experience in protein beverages would be an advantage
• Ability to produce a beverage from concept to commercialization
• Excellent technical execution and project management skills
• Highly developed organizational skills
• Well-developed communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively throughout all levels of the organization.
• Great presentation skills and a love for customers are necessary
• Ability to travel up to 25%

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop beverage solutions for customers including coffee, tea, protein, energy, alcohol, refresher type products that are cost effective, stable, utilizing the breath of the Vibrant Ingredient portfolio (Functional ingredients, coffee & tea extracts, flavors). Completes stability testing, documentation, costing and supports commercialization.
• Ability to manage and drive projects to a successful outcome
• Capable of multitasking and prioritizing projects.
• Ability to develop Technical to Technical relationships with customers
• Will be expected to support customer visits with sales.
• Participates in Life Cycle Management of products focusing on reducing costs and maximizing margin. Completing all necessary stability testing.
• Participates in supporting Innovation presentations, Ideation, Rapid Prototyping.
• Supports production runs of new products for select customers.
• Capable of developing a wide range of beverage applications with experience in product processing (Pasteurization, Homogenization, hot-fill, indirect and direct steam processing, carbonation, canning)
• Follows basic GLP, ISO procedures, safety, lab notebooks and/or other electronic record keeping
• May supervise Technicians

Minimum Qualifications:

• Science degree (preferably in Food Science/Food Engineering) from a reputable school
• Proven track record of success in beverage development in the Food Service or beverage industry
• Full working knowledge of Beverage development
• Good knowledge of manufacturing processes and delivery technologies
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Good computer software skills including MS Office (Excel, PPT, Word, etc.), Salesforce.

Physical Requirements:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, stand, and walk; use hands and fingers; talk and/or hear. The employee may be required to lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.

About Vibrant Ingredients

Founded in 1954, Vibrant Ingredients is a leading provider of natural, clean label ingredients and systems that power extraordinary food and beverage experiences. The company’s broad portfolio — including natural flavors, botanical extracts, functional nutrition, cold brew coffee, tea essences, and food protection solutions — enhances taste, texture, color, shelf life, and performance across a wide range of applications. Vibrant operates four state-of-the-art facilities across the United States and works with leading brands, manufacturers, and foodservice operators. With vertically integrated capabilities and a proven track record of innovation and execution, Vibrant helps customers accelerate to market without compromise. Learn more atwww.vibrantingredients.com