Key Skills

Job Description

Full-time | On-site | Valkenswaard, Netherlands Want to actually develop food products, rather than spend your day behind a laptop? Food Scientist For Hire is looking for a Junior Food Product Developer to join our growing product development team in Valkenswaard. This is a highly practical, hands-on role. You’ll spend much of your time in the lab developing recipes, making samples, testing ingredients, organising tastings and solving formulation challenges. Because we work with many different clients, you won’t be developing the same type of product every day. One week you might be working on a functional beverage, the next on a powdered supplement, sauce, snack or another completely different food concept. We’re looking for someone who is curious, practical and likes to get things done, and who wants to grow into a confident, independent Food Product Developer capable of managing their own projects from concept through to production. What you’ll be doing Developing new food and beverage recipes from initial concept to finished formulation Improving and troubleshooting existing formulations Making laboratory samples and customer samples Testing new ingredients and raw materials Organising and participating in tastings Running development trials and recording results accurately Solving formulation, stability and processing challenges Working across a wide variety of product categories and international projects Gradually taking ownership of your own development projects Who we’re looking for You have a degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Product Development (HBO/WO) or a closely related field, and you genuinely enjoy the practical side of product development. You should also: Already be living in the Netherlands Have an EU passport or existing right to work in the Netherlands Have an international mindset and excellent spoken and written English Enjoy spending time in the lab and working hands-on with products Be proactive and comfortable taking initiative Like getting things finished rather than endlessly discussing them Work accurately and stay organised Be naturally curious about ingredients, formulations and food processing Be keen to learn and increasingly work independently What’s in it for you? This is probably not the job for someone looking for a large corporate graduate programme. But if you want to learn product development quickly by actually doing it, it offers something quite different. At Food Scientist For Hire, we work on a large number of projects across many different food and beverage categories. That means you can gain exposure in a relatively short period of time that might take years to build when working on just one product category within a larger company. You won't be stuck supporting the same brand or making small changes to the same product all year. You'll see products at very different stages: from an idea and first kitchen trial through to customer samples, factory scale-up and commercial production. You’ll also work directly alongside experienced food developers, giving you the opportunity to learn the practical side of formulation that is difficult to learn from textbooks alone. As you develop, we want you to become increasingly independent. The aim is for you to progress from supporting projects to running your own development projects and becoming a well-rounded Food Product Developer. And because we are a small, dynamic team, there are short communication lines and very little corporate bureaucracy. No endless internal presentations, layers of management or meetings for the sake of meetings. We prefer developing products, solving problems and getting things done. What you can expect: Exposure to a broad range of food and beverage categories A steep learning curve and lots of practical NPD experience Direct involvement in real commercial projects The opportunity to see products you worked on actually launch Close collaboration with experienced product developers Increasing responsibility as your skills develop International clients, suppliers and projects A small, informal and entrepreneurial working environment Salary based on your education and relevant experience The practical bit This is a full-time, on-site position, 5 days per week, at our product development lab in Valkenswaard, Netherlands. This is intentionally not a remote or hybrid role. Product development happens in the lab — weighing, mixing, tasting, testing, adjusting and trying again. About Food Scientist For Hire Food Scientist For Hire is an international food and beverage product development company. We work with start-ups, growing brands and established businesses around the world, helping turn ideas into commercially viable products. Our work covers the complete product development journey: from initial concepts and formulations through ingredient sourcing, laboratory development, samples and pilot batches to scale-up and commercial production. If you love experimenting with food, enjoy working with your hands and want to see something go from an idea on paper to a real product on a supermarket shelf, we’d love to hear from you. Interested? Send your CV together with a short introduction explaining why you would like to work in food product development to [email protected].

Core Responsibilities

Develop and improve food and beverage recipes and formulations, prepare laboratory and customer samples, test ingredients, organize tastings, and conduct development trials while accurately recording results. Troubleshoot formulation, stability, and processing challenges across varied product categories, and gradually take ownership of projects from concept through production.

Requirements

Applicants need a degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Product Development, or a closely related field, and must already live in the Netherlands with an EU passport or existing right to work there. They should have excellent spoken and written English, enjoy hands-on laboratory work, and be proactive, organized, accurate, curious, and eager to develop greater independence.

Benefits

• Broad Exposure To Food And Beverage Categories
• Practical Product Development Experience
• Direct Involvement In Commercial Projects
• Collaboration With Experienced Product Developers
• Increasing Responsibility
• Informal And Entrepreneurial Work Environment