Senior Designer

International Flavors and Fragrances; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

International Flavors and Fragrances is seeking a seasoned flavor scientist to lead beverage and dairy formulation programs onsite in Philadelphia, PA. You will drive concept-to-commercialization efforts, partner with customers and cross-functional teams, and mentor junior staff—delivering differentiated flavor solutions with scale-up support.

Ideal candidates have a strong background in beverages/dairy, 10+ years in flavors or related CPG roles, and willingness to travel up to 40% for customer

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific discipline related to foods and flavors.
• Strong formulation expertise in beverages, dairy, or plant-based products.
• Experience independently managing projects from brief to commercialization.

Responsibilities

• Lead flavor and food formulation projects from concept through commercialization.
• Develop beverage and dairy formulations meeting regulatory, cost and performance needs.
• Collaborate with customers, commercial teams, flavorists and cross-functional partners.
• Manage multiple projects with clear plans, timelines, and communication strategies.
• Evaluate briefs to identify opportunities and recommend ingredient and process solutions.
• Support scale-up, plant trials and commercialization with Quality and Production teams.
• Provide technical expertise during customer visits, seminars and troubleshooting.
• Mentor junior team members and contribute to global innovation initiatives.
• Leverage new ingredients and technologies to drive product differentiation.

Skills

Flavor formulation

Project leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Customer interaction

Presentation skills

Travel up to 40%

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science/Technology/C chemistry/biology

Job description

Job Summary

Are you passionate about creating innovative beverage and dairy solutions that bring great flavors to life and help shape the future of food and beverage brands?

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 Philadelphia, PA (onsite role). Be part of a creative, customer-focused, and solution-oriented team where together we can achieve greatness and make a real impact. Your potential is our inspiration.

Where You'll Make a Difference

• Lead flavor and food formulation projects from concept through commercialization, serving as the technical project leader.
• Develop beverage, dairy, and other finished product formulations that incorporate IFF flavor technologies while meeting customer, regulatory, cost, and performance requirements.
• Partner closely with customers, commercial teams, flavorists, and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver innovative solutions that address customer needs and market trends.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously, establishing clear work plans, timelines, and communication strategies to ensure successful execution.
• Evaluate customer products and technical briefs to identify formulation opportunities and recommend optimal ingredient, flavor, and process solutions.
• Support scale-up activities, plant trials, and commercialization efforts while collaborating with Quality and Production teams to troubleshoot technical challenges.
• Provide technical expertise during customer visits, presentations, seminars, and troubleshooting engagements.
• Mentor junior team members and contribute to regional and global innovation initiatives, technology platforms, and strategic growth projects.
• Leverage new ingredients, technologies, and formulation approaches to create differentiated solutions that drive commercial success.

What Makes You the Right Fit

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, or a related scientific discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of experience within the food, ingredient, flavor, or consumer packaged goods industry.
• Strong formulation expertise in beverages, dairy, plant-based beverages, or related food applications.
• Experience independently managing projects from initial customer brief through final commercialization.
• Demonstrated understanding of ingredient functionality, flavor performance, and food processing technologies.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and collaborating effectively with commercial, technical, operations, and quality partners.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and presentation skills with the ability to translate technical concepts into customer-focused solutions.
• Ability to support customer interactions, plant trials, and technical presentations.
• Willingness to travel up to 40% for customer visits

How Would You Stand Out?

• Hands-on expertise with plant-based beverages, emulsification systems, UHT processing, and HTST processing.
• Experience within a leading consumer packaged goods company and a proven track record of scaling products from development through commercial production.
• Background in ice cream, dairy applications, or other complex beverage systems.

Why Choose Us?

• Opportunity to work with some of the world's leading food and beverage brands.
• Exposure to cutting-edge flavor technologies, ingredients, and innovation platforms.
• Collaborative global environment with strong cross-functional partnerships.
• Meaningful opportunities to lead customer-facing projects and influence innovation strategy.
• Ongoing learning, development, and career growth opportunities.
• Impactful work helping shape the future of taste through science, creativity, and innovation.

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