R&D Raw Materials Cereals

Ferrero is a family-owned company with a truly progressive and global outlook and iconic brands such as Nutella®, Tic Tac®, Ferrero Rocher®, Raffaello®, Kinder Bueno® and Kinder Surprise®. As the love for our brands continues to grow, so too does our global reach. Represented in more than 50 countries, with products sold in more than 170, the Ferrero Group is loved by generations around the world. The secret to our global success? 40,000  dedicated employees who celebrate care and quality to craft a business, careers and brands we are proud of. Join us, and you could be one of them.

Ferrero is committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture in which all employees feel welcomed and appreciated and have the same opportunities. We believe all of our people are equally talented in their own way. In nurturing the curiosity and natural abilities of our employees, we provide them, generation after generation, the means to succeed personally and professionally, enabling them to craft their journey at Ferrero. The diversity of our talents is what makes our work environment multicultural, innovative and highly rewarding.

We are currently looking for a talented candidate to work in a highly dynamic and international enrvironment. The candidate will be part of the R&D Sugars & Cereals laboratory team as R&D Raw Materials specialist. 

In this role, you will be responsible for identifying relevant raw materials to enable new developments and improvements of semi-finished and finished products. You will deal with ingredient suppliers for new R&D projects and create raw materials specifications to meet the needs of finished products, consumers, and the market. Additionally, you will manage the raw material specifications approval process using Devex and SAP systems. 

You will also manage and lead new R&D projects to support new Ferrero innovations. Cooperation with procurement and Food Safety & Quality RM will be essential to support the process of raw material provision and derisking solutions. Furthermore, you will collaborate with Food Regulatory to maintain a constant update of regulatory scouting for the raw materials and contribute to continuously updating the RM and finished products' country suitability.

The ideal candidate will hold a Master’s degree in food science/technology, chemistry, biology, biotechnology, agronomy, or a related field, with a PhD being a plus. They should possess knowledge of raw materials and technology processes, including cereals, sugars, sweeteners, and legumes. Experience in the food industry, particularly in raw materials specification management, is preferred. 
 
Moreover, the candidate must be capable of building and sustaining academic and scientific relationships, maintaining the function up to date with the latest research and advancements in the field.
 
The candidate must demonstrate excellent teamwork and communication skills within a cross-functional and international environment. They should have the ability to work effectively in a changing and complex environment, showing resilience and determination to achieve goals. Good data analysis skills are essential, and experience with SAP and Devex systems is considered an advantage. High fluency in English, both written and spoken, is required, along with proficiency in MS Office applications such as Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Consumers, quality and care are at the heart of everything we do. So, to be successful at Ferrero, you’ll need to be just as consumer and product centric as we are - dedicated to crafting brilliant results for consumers around the world. 

Strong analytical mind, attention to details on one hand, and ability to cooperate with employees at all levels and great organisational skills on the other, would be key to success.  Employee contribution and engagement at Ferrero is based on the individual, team and organisation dimension, so you should have the ability to work independently, as a part of the team and build good relations with stakeholders at all levels.  Being flexible and dealing with a dynamic working environment as well as the ability to embed new knowledge and skills in existing competencies will definitely help you to become high performer here.