Product Developer (Food)

ASR Group is the world’s largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar, with an annual production capacity of more than 6 million tons of sugar. The company produces a full line of grocery, industrial, food service and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group owns and operates six sugar refineries, located in Louisiana, New York, California, Maryland, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, the company owns and operates sugar refineries in England and Portugal. ASR Group also owns and operates mills in Mexico and Belize. The company’s brand portfolio includes the leading brands Domino®, C&H®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Lyle’s® and Sidul®.

Location: Thames Refinery, UK

Grade: 15C

Reports To: Product Manager

Overview

As a member of the Research & Technology team, the Research Scientist is responsible for delivering product development, formulation, and sensory evaluation activities to support new product development, optimisation, and customer‑driven projects across European sites, with occasional involvement in global initiatives. Working within the Global Research and Technology department and European cross‑functional teams, this role is hands‑on and customer‑oriented, working closely with Marketing to translate briefs into technical solutions, with ingredient and flavour suppliers to develop fit‑for‑purpose formulations, with Finance to assess and optimise formulation costs, and with Quality and Operations to ensure product scalability, manufacturing standards and food safety compliance.

Product Development, Formulation & Sensory

• Effectively manage time, priorities, and resources to deliver multiple development projects, laboratory activities, and internal/external customer requests to meet agreed timelines.
• Responsible for laboratory‑based product development and formulation activities across sugar, syrups, sweeteners, flavoured syrups and beverage, coffee syrups and dessert sauces.
• Develop, optimise, and reformulate products in line with customer requirements, Marketing briefs, manufacturing capability, and cost targets.
• Design, prepare, and evaluate bench‑scale samples, supporting internal reviews and external customer assessments.
• Plan, conduct, and interpret organoleptic assessments and sensory evaluations, translating results into development recommendations.
• Provide technical flavour and application recommendations to support product performance and business growth.

Customer, Commercial & Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Marketing to translate customer and market briefs into structured technical development plans.
• Support customer engagement sessions, supporting Marketing and Sales with development briefs and product sample showcases.
• Support customer‑facing technical discussions, including product tastings, technical briefings, and sample reviews.
• Engage with ingredient and flavour suppliers to evaluate materials, identify innovation opportunities, and resolve technical challenges.
• Partner with Finance to calculate, review and optimise formulation costs to support commercial decision‑making.
• Collaborate with Quality and Operations to ensure formulations meet food safety, regulatory, and manufacturing requirements.

Scale‑up, Product Stability & Technical Support

• Support manufacturing trials, including technical documentation preparation, participation in trials, data capture, sample testing and reporting of outcomes.
• Plan and execute real‑time and accelerated shelf‑life and stability studies, analysing results and making technical recommendations.
• Provide technical support to manufacturing sites, including investigation of customer complaints and troubleshooting product‑related issues as required.
• Generate technical documentation, including formulation records, trial reports, sensory summaries, and development recommendations to support audits and technical governance.

Laboratory Practice

• Work in full compliance with Good Laboratory Practice, GMP, food safety, and Health & Safety requirements.
• Support routine laboratory activities, and maintain a clean and organised laboratory, adhering to housekeeping and hygiene standards.
• Manage laboratory ingredients, samples, equipment and records to ensure traceability and data integrity.
• Actively contribute to continuous improvement initiatives and implementation of digital tools, data analytics, and AI‑enabled approaches to support product development, predictive modelling, formulation optimisation, and trend analysis.

Work Experience

• Experienced in product development, formulation, and sensory evaluation within a food and beverage industry.
• Experience working with sugars, sweeteners, beverages, flavoured syrups, dessert sauces, and coffee syrups or equivalent.
• Strong capability in product formulation, organoleptic assessment and sensory evaluation, with the ability to translate sensory findings into development actions.
• Hands‑on laboratory experience (sample preparation, sensory panels, stability testing and accurate data recordings) with adherence to laboratory working standards and good housekeeping practices.
• Demonstrated ability to manage time, priorities, and resources effectively, balancing multiple development projects, laboratory activities, and customer requests to meet agreed timelines.
• Proven experience working closely with Marketing and cross‑functional teams (including Quality, Operations, Finance, and Procurement) to translate customer and market briefs into technical development plans and manufacturing solutions.
• Strong communication skills, customer‑orientated mindset and confidence working in customer‑facing technical roles.
• Good understanding of HACCP principles, food manufacturing, quality systems, and regulatory requirements, with the ability to support the development and implementation of process control and food safety documentation.
• Excellent computer literacy, including proficiency in MS Office Suite and familiarity with data analysis, reporting, and project management tools.

Education & Certification

• Minimum B.Sc. in Food Science, Chemistry or related scientific discipline.
• Professional certifications in Health and Safety, Food Safety, HACCP, or Quality Management Systems are preferred.
• Experience with Genesis, Compusense Sensory, Ilabber, SAP PLM and MDG, or similar software is preferred.
• Training or certification in Project Management (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2) and Continuous Improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma) is advantageous.

Location

Thames Refinery, UK

Travel Requirements

Less than 15% of travel for business meetings; travel frequency will be minimal and will be based on business needs.

Competencies

• Analytical Thinking & Decision Making – Identifies and understands trends and/or issues; connects data points through analysis to arrive at a logical conclusion.
• Business & Financial Acumen – Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the financial, accounting, marketing and operational functions of our organisation; interpreting and applying understanding of key financial indicators to make better corporate decisions.
• Effective Communication – Expresses ideas and information in a clear and concise manner by tailoring one's message to fit the interests and needs of the audience.
• Customer Orientation – Keeps internal and/or external customer(s) in mind at all times. Strives to proactively address customer concerns and needs.
• Establishes Trust – Gaining the confidence and faith of others by actions and words that promote being honest, forthcoming, integrious and vulnerable.
• Problem‑Solving – Anticipates, evaluates, diagnoses, and resolves problems in a systematic and fact‑based manner.
• Results Orientation & Accountability – Takes accountability, identifies, executes and drives actions to consistently achieve desired results.
• Teamwork & Collaboration – Creates a climate that fosters commitment to a common vision and shared values that promote cooperation and working together through trust and support of others.
• Adaptability/Flexibility – Maintaining effectiveness in varying environments and with different tasks, responsibilities and people.
• Continuous Improvement – Establishes methods and utilises specialised techniques to monitor and improve performance of systems and processes.
• Self‑Development – Seeks feedback on one’s strengths and weaknesses and initiates activities to increase or enhance their knowledge, skills, and proficiency in order to perform more effectively or enhance their career.
• Change Management – Achieves success through change: identifies opportunities for improvement and innovation, removes barriers and resistance, and enables behaviours that support desired outcomes.
• Develops Others – Plans for the growth of others, diligently addressing performance issues and conflicts, both at the individual and organisational level with the purpose of achieving results through the activities of other people.