Dairy Flavor Innovator II

IFF; United States; On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

401(k) plan

Parental leave

Job summary

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, and health & biosciences. The Dairy Designer II / Scientist II role, based in Philadelphia on-site, advances dairy and dairy alternative products from concept to commercialization, leveraging creativity, technical proficiency, and collaboration to deliver best-in-class solutions.

You will develop formulations, conduct scale-up trials, support launches, mentor junior staff, and stay ahead of industry trends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Dairy Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, or a related scientific discipline.
• Minimum seven years of experience in the food, ingredient, flavor, or consumer products industry, ideally with two years of experience in dairy, dairy alternatives, or a closely related application area.
• Demonstrated experience developing products from concept through prototype development, scale‑up, manufacturing, and commercialization.
• Demonstrated understanding of ingredient functionality, flavor systems, texture design, formulation principles, and flavor interactions in dairy and dairy alternative applications.
• Proven project management and project planning skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver successful outcomes.
• Experience supporting manufacturing environments, pilot plants, production trials, and commercial product launches.
• Excellent verbal, written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to engage customers and cross-functional stakeholders effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage creativity, innovation, and problem‑solving skills to develop customer‑focused solutions and drive commercial success.
• Ability to work onsite in laboratory and pilot plant environments five days per week.

Responsibilities

• Lead dairy and dairy alternative product development projects from concept through commercialization, utilizing strong project planning, creativity, innovation, and presentation skills to deliver best-in-class solutions for customers.
• Develop finished product formulations that incorporate IFF technologies while meeting sensory, regulatory, stability, cost, and customer requirements.
• Partner with Production, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control teams to execute scale‑up trials, support commercial launches, and address technical challenges when appropriate.
• Apply expertise in taste and texture design to create innovative prototypes and commercially successful solutions for local, regional, and strategic customers.
• Continuously expand knowledge of ingredients, customer needs, manufacturing processes, flavor interactions, and market trends within dairy and dairy alternative applications to drive innovation and business growth.
• Support category growth and innovation initiatives by evaluating emerging technologies, ingredients, and consumer trends and incorporating them into product development activities.
• Deliver product demonstrations, technical presentations, innovation workshops, and training sessions that build customer confidence and strengthen partnerships.
• Provide technical support during customer visits, plant trials, and product evaluations while translating technical concepts into practical business solutions.
• Collaborate across Research and Development, Commercial, Production, Quality, and Innovation teams while mentoring Associate Designers, Associate Scientists, and Trainee colleagues.

Skills

Flavor design

Project management

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Pilot plant operations

Scale-up experience

Job description

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, and health & biosciences. The Dairy Designer II / Scientist II role, based in Philadelphia on-site, advances dairy and dairy alternative products from concept to commercialization, leveraging creativity, technical proficiency, and collaboration to deliver best-in-class solutions.

You will develop formulations, conduct scale-up trials, support launches, mentor junior staff, and stay ahead of industry trends.