Job Summary
Are you passionate about advancing sustainable flavor innovation through biotechnology and cutting-edge research?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 Union Beach, New Jersey (onsite role). Be part of an innovative, collaborative, and science-driven team where together we can achieve greatness and make a real impact. Your potential is our inspiration.
- Drive the development of sustainable flavor ingredients through advanced Organic Synthesis, and natural product discovery.
- Conduct exploratory research focused on preparing novel flavor ingredients that deliver sweet, salt, umami, and masking benefits in taste applications.
- Design, set up, and execute advanced organic synthesis reactions ranging from milligram to kilogram scale.
- Research novel flavor molecules and ingredients across areas such as meat, vanilla, and citrus.
- Develop efficient chemical processes to support the successful scale-up and manufacturing of ingredients selected for commercialization. [
- Purify, characterize, and evaluate reaction products using appropriate laboratory and analytical techniques.
- Analyze experimental results and maintain complete, accurate, and timely research documentation.
- Conduct scientific literature and patent searches to identify novel ingredients, synthetic approaches, and process manufacturing improvements.
- Collaborate with flavorists, scientists, and cross-functional partners to evaluate ingredient performance and advance research programs.
- Prepare technical reports, present research findings, and participate in team meetings and broader scientific activities.
- Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Flavor Chemistry, Food Science, or a related scientific discipline.
- At least 10 years of hands-on laboratory experience, preferably within the flavor, taste, food ingredients, or related industries.
- 10+ years of experience in synthetic organic chemistry and the design and execution of complex chemical reactions.
- Strong understanding of flavor chemistry and the application of novel molecules in taste and flavor systems.
- Excellent laboratory bench skills, including the ability to independently design, conduct, troubleshoot, and document experiments.
- Demonstrated experience purifying and characterizing reaction products using relevant laboratory and analytical methods.
- Ability to analyze experimental data, solve complex technical problems, and translate research findings into practical recommendations.
- Strong communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively in a cross-functional scientific environment.
- Ability to initiate and conduct research with minimal training and supervision.
- Master's degree with advanced coursework in synthetic organic chemistry.
- Significant industrial research and development experience within the flavor and taste industry.
- Experience developing efficient synthetic processes and scaling reactions to support ingredient manufacturing and commercialization.
- Advanced experience in Organic Synthesis. This position will require a comprehensive understanding of advanced synthetic organic chemistry, flavor chemistry, and excellent lab bench skills. The ability to purify and characterize reaction products is needed
- Opportunity to develop novel ingredients that deliver meaningful modulation benefits across sweet, salt, umami, and masking applications.
- Hands-on involvement in research spanning early-stage molecular discovery through process development and commercialization.
- Ability to work on flavor innovation across areas such as meat, vanilla, citrus, and taste modulation.
- Collaboration with experienced scientists, flavorists, and cross-functional innovation partners.
- Career development opportunities within a global industry leader.
- Ability to make a direct impact on products enjoyed by consumers around the world.
Compensation ($97,916.00 to $139,880.00 USD base) is based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to work experience, skills, certifications, and location. Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, 401k, vacation, holidays, paid parental leave (maternity and paternity), and an annual bonus plan, among other employee perks.
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
Salary Ranges:
Skills Required
- Ph.D. in Food Science, Microbiology, Biochemistry, or a related field with 1-3 years of post-doctoral research experience; or an M.S. in a related field with 7+ years of industrial flavor research experience.
- Strong knowledge of flavor chemistry, flavor mechanisms, and sensory interactions.
- Experience developing bio-based processes involving fermentation and/or biotransformation of food materials.
- Hands-on experience in microbial strain improvement and high-throughput screening methodologies.
- Understanding of bioreactor operations, fermentation principles, and metabolic pathways.
- Experience with raw material characterization, flavor isolation, extraction, and analytical techniques.
- Proficiency in statistical analysis and interpretation of experimental data.
- Ability to assess process economics and commercial feasibility.
- Strong communication, collaboration, and project management skills in a cross-functional environment.
- Industrial research and development experience in food, flavor, biotechnology, or ingredient industries.
- Knowledge of fermentation scale-up, downstream processing, and flavor fractionation technologies.
- Advanced experience with statistical software and experimental design methodologies.
IFF Family of Companies Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about IFF Family of Companies and has not been reviewed or approved by IFF Family of Companies.
-
Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive in many roles and locations, and compensation is often described as good.
-
Parental & Family Support — A global minimum of 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave for all new parents is in place. This policy is positioned as a notable component of the overall package.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — Core offerings include paid time off, sick days, holidays, and sabbatical leave. Flexible scheduling options such as compressed workweeks and hybrid/remote arrangements are available where feasible.
IFF Family of Companies Insights
What We Do
Meet IFF: We boldly bring together science and creativity to create what the world needs. An industry leader in food, beverage, health and biosciences, we create essential solutions – from global icons to unexpected innovations and experiences. Equal parts outspoken and analytical, our international collective of thinkers working with customers to bring scents, tastes, experiences, ingredients and solutions for products people crave. With 24,000 employees across 65 countries, more than 110 manufacturing facilities, 100 R&D centers, and 33,000 customers across the world, we’re poised to make a difference on an unprecedented scale. Without our boundary-pushing passion and end-to-end expertise, the future wouldn’t be the same. Visit us at www.iff.com to learn more about how our talented people and new technology are challenging the expected, championing creators and doing more good for people and planet. Explore what sets us apart.
