Research and Development Food Technologist

About the role

• This is a full-time role, however flexibility in this will be considered.
• We know that having a work-life balance is important, so we offer our colleagues as much flexibility as possible in line with the needs of their role.
• The base location for this role is Newcastle Upon Tyne, with an expectation of a minimum of 3 days based out of our Foodzone @ Balliol Park in Newcastle.

What you'll do

• Use your scientific knowledge to develop and carry out research programs incorporating current developments to improve existing products/ingredients and study the potential of new products/ingredients.
• Reformulate existing products on our current manufacturing platforms to enhance performance and quality.
• Develop process solutions which deliver against guidelines set by external bodies such as Public Health; reductions of nutritional components in products.
• Help develop and review business approach to the Ultra Processed Food (UPF) agenda.
• Transfer innovative technologies into our process, development, and site teams.
• Work on scientific enhancements of products with our suppliers and industry experts.
• Build key relationships within our Greggs network.
• Liaise and build relationships with key suppliers, universities, and other industry experts/research bodies and coordinate any streams of work.
• Report, analyse, create methodology and present all findings in a well-documented and scientific manner.

About you

You will fit right into this role if you:

Essential Criteria

• Relevant food degree and a minimum of 5 years' experience in the food industry.
• R&D experience/Scientific background.
• You are curious, experimental and have hands-on product development and process experience.

Desirable Criteria

• Practical bakery development experience.
• Great problem-solving skills.
• A great sense of creativity, innovation and BlueSky thinking.
• Can demonstrate excellent organisational skills with strong attention to detail.
• Have strong IT skills including Microsoft 365, Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams.
• Be self-motivated, have great organisational skills that allow you to operate independently.
• Have an absolute fascination of food, ingredients, and technology.
• Have excellent written & verbal communication skills and the ability to present ideas and opportunities (including using known presentational tools).
• Have the proven ability to work cross-functionally and collaboratively.
• Can multi-task and work with multiple priorities at pace, delivering results within tight timescales.
• Enjoy being part of a hard-working team, sharing the same end goal, and celebrating results together.
• Are supportive of an inclusive culture – recognising and valuing that difference is good.

About Greggs

Here at Greggs, we love what we do, and we have fun! What makes Greggs so special is our culture – the way we are, the way we behave and the way we support each other. We're hard-working, but above all else we're family; and it doesn't matter who you are, where you're from or what your favourite bake is, we’d love you to join us! We want everyone to feel welcome at Greggs and our colleagues to be able to be themselves at work, whatever their background, preferences, or views.

Vacancy Information

We have a new and exciting opportunity for a motivated individual to join our Development Team in our development kitchens here at Newcastle on a full-time basis. This role reports to the Senior In-house Development Manager, and the candidate would be directly responsible for food-related research and development in Bakery sweet and savoury products with activity around ingredient functionality and reporting. They would also be involved in future projects linked to external targets and innovative technologies. You will liaise with all levels of the business, having the opportunity to influence decisions and have a real impact on future growth plans.

We can offer you:

• 25 days (5 weeks) annual leave, pro-rated, increasing with service (in addition to bank holidays), plus 1 additional floating day.
• Management Bonus Scheme which is worth up to 12.5% of your salary.
• Profit share: We want everyone to share in the success of the business, so we distribute 10% of our profits to all our employees who have at least 6-month service, or more, each year.
• Private Medical Insurance which is free for you and subsidised for your dependants.
• Permanent Health Insurance which is a replacement income scheme.
• You will automatically join our Greggs pension scheme which is a fantastic way to save for your retirement and allows you to benefit from employer contributions and tax advantages.
• Defined contribution management pension scheme.
• Death in service benefit which provides a lump-sum payment equal to 4 times your year’s salary.
• Colleague discount, up to 50% off our own-produced products.
• Share save schemes that let you buy discounted Greggs shares, by saving a set amount of money over a fixed time, to have an even bigger share of our profits.
• Career progression and learning and development.
• Employee Assistance Programme; A free, confidential helpline, offering advice and support with financial, relationship, work-related and wellbeing issues, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Including a mobile app providing a range of wellness content on physical, mental, social, and financial wellbeing.
• Perks and savings, such as digital gift card discounts, online cashback, in-store and online coupons and lifestyle offers.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• A company who cares about our communities; the environment and being a better business!
• Colleague Networks – internal groups where colleagues and their allies can share their own experiences, offer feedback on the way we do things at Greggs, and provide support to one another.