Senior Research Chef & Food Scientist

Are you passionate about creating impactful food solutions that bring together creativity, science, and customer success? IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products. The role is based in South Brunswick, NJ.

About the role

Join a collaborative, innovative, and solution-oriented team where your expertise contributes to meaningful products used around the world. Your potential is our inspiration.

Where you’ll make a difference:

• High level of knowledge of recipe ingredients and raw materials and their function
• Independently navigates both customer and internal projects from start to finish and acts as a project leader
• Develops and improves application formulations and finished product formulations using knowledge of industrial standards, creativity, country specific and client requirements
• Researches, refines and upgrades solutions for customer projects
• Maintains and continuously renovates application-specific recipe database
• Maximizes flavor and ingredients performance through recipe design
• Provides flavors, food systems and ingredients driven solutions utilizing creative problem-solving skills
• Reviews, renews and renovates flavor repositories in-line with established metrics
• Identifies flavor repositories gaps and actions and addresses with appropriate expertise or resource
• Continues to build flavor attribute and language knowledge and articulate with others in the team and on projects
• Uses creativity and innovation skills for customer, industry and investor presentations
• Able and willing to mentor others in the organization, including Food Designers and Research Chefs

Requirements

• B.S. or higher in Food Science or a related discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Culinary Science, Human Nutrition)
• Minimum 10 years of experience in the industrial food or preferred flavor industry
• Experience as a Research Chef with developing products in an industrial food environment. However, we are equally interested in executive/head chefs with strong culinary expertise who have gained food science, product development, or R&D experience in Food Consumer Packaged Goods manufacturing
• The ideal candidate combines deep culinary expertise with a strong foundation in food science and product development, and commercialization
• 2–3 years of experience working in cross-functional teams in roles such as project leader
• Proven ability to manage multiple, high-value projects independently with strong planning and decision-making skills
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and presentation skills with internal and external stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong understanding of sensory evaluation, consumer insights, and their application to successful product design
• Experience contributing to global or regional innovation programs and technology platforms
• Recognized technical expertise with the ability to mentor and develop junior colleagues

Benefits

• Opportunity to work on high-impact, global customer projects
• Exposure to industry-leading technology, ingredients, and innovation platforms
• Continuous learning and professional development opportunities
• The chance to shape regional and global technical strategies
• Competitive total rewards aligned with experience and impact

Pay

Salary range: $97,916 – $139,880 USD