Chef Assistant Technician - Foodology

A Place Where People Matter. 

Start your career journey with Univar Solutions!  Here you can make an impact on the world around you and accelerate your career in areas that energize and excite you. 

 

Are you passionate about food science and product development? Do you enjoy working hands-on with innovative ingredients to bring food trends to life? Join us and be part of a dynamic, customer-facing culinary innovation hub.

If you're curious, hands-on, and eager to help shape the future of food, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and bring your technical expertise and culinary passion to our innovative team.

 

What you’ll do

As a Chef Assistant Technician, you’ll work side-by-side with our Food Development Chef at our flagship EMEA Solutions Centre in Essen, Germany. You’ll support exciting customer projects by preparing and testing ingredient applications in our fully equipped kitchen. From baking and dairy to plant-based foods and even animal nutrition, you’ll help bring product concepts to life across a broad spectrum of applications.

 

Responsibilities include:

• Supporting the development and preparation of food prototypes using our ingredient portfolio.

• Testing and adjusting formulations to meet specific customer needs.

• Conducting trials and capturing results in technical documentation and reports.

• Collaborating with marketing, sales, and product development teams to create new consumer products or formulations.

• Collaborating with marketing to create promotional content for campaigns and the digital knowledge center.

• Develop recipes & new products for industry trade shows.

• Leading engaging product demos, webinars, trade shows, and customer visits with live or recorded culinary presentations.

• Working with commercial kitchen equipment and the ability to follow workflows.

• Maintaining a safe, clean, and organized lab and kitchen environment.

 

What you'll need

• We welcome candidates with a university degree in Food Science or Food Technology, or with a comparable qualification gained through apprenticeships and relevant professional experience.

• +2 years of experience in food labs, food production, product development or application kitchens. Knowledge in formulation, product scale-up, plant testing and/or commercialization is a plus.

• Flexibility to work across a diverse ingredient portfolio for food applications (e.g., ice cream, baked goods, savory foods, animal nutrition).

• Ability to follow workflows and operate commercial kitchen equipment

• Passion for food innovation and an eye for technical detail.

• Strong communication skills (written and verbal).

• English fluency is required. German language skills are highly preferred and Dutch or French language skills are a plus.

 

Where you’ll work

This is an on-site role based in Essen, Germany, at our EMEA Solutions Centre. Preference for candidates located in the area.

 

Univar Solutions is a leading, global distributor of chemicals and ingredients essential to the safety, health, and wellbeing of our daily lives from life-saving medicines and vitamins to hand sanitizers and industrial materials used for cleaning, construction, and more.  Our team of more than 9,500 employees supports our vision to redefine distribution and be the most valued chemical and ingredient distributor in the world!

 

We offer a Total Rewards package that includes market aligned pay and incentives as well as a diverse benefits offering to support our employees’ physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing.

 

Univar Solutions supports sustainable solutions for the world around us so that we can do our part to help keep our communities healthy, fed, clean, and safe! 

 

We are committed to a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusion.  Together, we are building a culture that acknowledges the unique experiences, perspectives and expertise of individ