Job Description
Description AGRANA Fruit is a global leader in delivering healthy and delicious food solutions in partnership with our valued customers. Our co-collaboration mindset results in the development of innovative products across multiple categories including refrigerated & frozen dairy, bakery and food service. Our team of experts are passionate about the wonderful world of food, the communities we serve and meeting the needs of consumers around the world.
Product Developer - Brecksville, OH AGRANA Fruit US, Inc. is seeking a Product Developer to join our New Business Development team at our Corporate Headquarters in Brecksville, OH. This role works in close collaboration with the Category, Sales, and Marketing manager. As an active member in the New Product Development team, the job owner demonstrates creativity, agility, and rigor within the product commercialization process. This is a newly created position requiring knowledge and passion for food and beverage innovation with a focus on frozen dairy (ice cream, sherbet, novelty bars) and beverages (coffee, tea and barista type products).
Product Developer, Responsibilities: - Lead development and innovation process for specific customer accounts. This involves receiving customer brief, structure of the project, required research, formula development, sample submissions, risk analysis, trial, launches and all customer contact for project follow up.
- Market scouting, trend research and benchmark analysis in cooperation with Category, Sales, and Marketing manager. Generate internal briefs for proactive projects. Prepare product showcases and presentations for clients.
- Prioritize and manage all product development efforts within the customer team to adequately service our customers. As key asset of customer satisfaction and aligned with sales strategy, implement continuous improvement of service level in product development.
- Guarantee NPD process compliance with quality and safety guardrails and F&B regulations, both internal and from customers, including local and destiny markets. Support feasibility studies.
- Comply to the raw material approval process in synergistic collaboration with Procurement Specialist function to guarantee timely availability of raw materials for product brief execution, and to support the development of new ingredients, packaging, suppliers, and raw material optimization.
- Collaborate with the Pilot Plant Team (Cooks, Unitizer, Dispatcher) to ensure the realization of all product samples to be delivered to the customers within the requested timeframe.
- Responsible for delivering precise product trial details and to collaborate with the Commercialization Manager to guarantee accurate and on-time set up of factory trials.
- Active participation in scale up and industrial trial, contributing to new process development and improvement.
- Collaborate and align with Technical Service and Production team for successful commercialization of new products.
- Ensure accurate and timely reporting of product development activities to key stakeholders.
Product Developer, Requirements: - BS in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Biology
- 2-3 years of food industry product development experience
- Demonstrated knowledge and experience in food technology, ingredient technology and food & beverage processing.
- Knowledge of regulatory requirements and labelling.
- Experience in sensory analysis.
- Ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
- Highly organized with strong project management skills.
- Strong problem solving and analytical skill set
- Effective communication skills for both internal and external customers, the ability to collaborate, create, and foster relationships.
- Strategic thinker, creative & curious with a customer-centric mindset.
- Strong computer skills.
- Previous SAP experience a plus
Experience in the following areas is a plus! - Knowledge in beverage applications, coffee science and/or barista training.
- Frozen dairy experience developing fruit and indulgent (chocolate, caramel etc..) variegates, bases and toppings.
If interested, apply online at or e-mail your resume to bryan.santos@agrana.com
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