Senior Scientist, Beverage

Senior Beverage Scientist at Glanbia

Join this dynamic team focused on delivering better nutrition for every step of life’s journey!

The Opportunity

The Senior Beverage Scientist will lead formulation, scale-up, and commercialization of beverage systems within the Glanbia Flavors portfolio, with deep hands-on expertise in microthermic (MicroThermics®) processing. This role partners cross-functionally with Flavor Creation, Sensory & Consumer Science, Quality, Regulatory, and Operations to deliver best-in-class ready-to-drink (RTD) and concentrated beverage solutions across dairy, plant-based, performance nutrition, hydration, and energy platforms. The ideal candidate brings a strong grasp of thermal processing, stability engineering, and flavor/ingredient interactions to enable rapid prototyping, robust shelf-life, and efficient commercialization.

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end product development for beverages: concepting, bench-top formulation, microthermic runs, pilot, and plant trials through launch.
• Formulate beverage with vitamin-mineral premix.
• Formulate around desired shelf life.
• Design and execute microthermic/UHT/HTST thermal profiles to emulate commercial conditions and predict product performance.
• Translate flavor briefs into scalable beverage systems, optimizing flavor delivery, sweetness, mouthfeel, and masking across bases (dairy, plant, water, protein).
• Build and manage experimental designs (DoE) to screen ingredients, processing parameters, and packaging interactions for stability and sensory quality.
• Lead microthermic lab operations (scheduling, sanitation, CIP/SIP coordination, run documentation, sample retention, and safety compliance).
• Partner with Process Engineering and Operations to define critical control points (CCPs) and tech transfer requirements from lab to pilot/plant.
• Characterize product stability using relevant analytics (viscosity, pH, density, osmolality, phase separation, sedimentation, protein stability, heat stability).
• Collaborate with Sensory & Consumer Science on test design, data interpretation, and product optimization driven by consumer insights.
• Author robust specifications, batch sheets, and process instructions; ensure alignment with QA/QC and Regulatory (labeling, claims, compliance).
• Troubleshoot scale-up issues (fouling, burn-on, phase instability, flavor fade, sweetness drift) and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain a strong external radar on ingredient innovations, processing technologies, and packaging trends; engage key suppliers and equipment OEMs.
• Coach junior scientists and technicians; foster a culture of safety, quality, speed, and documentation excellence.

Microthermic (MicroThermics®) Expertise

• Operate benchtop/pilot MicroThermics® systems (e.g., UHT/HTST, Direct/Indirect, tubular/plate) for dairy and non-dairy beverages.
• Develop and validate thermal profiles (e.g., 135–150°C UHT; 72–95°C HTST) with hold times tailored to product matrices and desired shelf-life.
• Calibrate and verify critical sensors (flow, temperature, pressure) and maintain accurate run logs and material balances.
• Execute CIP/SIP procedures; select cleaning regimes based on soil and protein load to minimize fouling and flavor carryover.
• Simulate commercial processes (homogenization, deaeration, in-line blending) and translate parameters to pilot/plant equipment.
• Implement aseptic techniques for sterile fills; coordinate environmental monitoring and packaging compatibility checks.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field (advanced degree preferred).
• 7 or more years in beverage R&D (5 or more with advanced degree) with demonstrated microthermic/UHT experience and successful launches.
• Demonstrated understanding of pre-mix formulation and degradation/stability of vitamins and bioactives.
• Strong formulation skills across proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, hydrocolloids, emulsions, sweeteners, acids, minerals, and flavor systems.
• Working knowledge of colloid science