Location: Bridgewater, NJ; Hamburg, Germany Workplace type: Hybrid (4 days onsite/ 1 day from home) Ingredion is seeking a passionate and innovative Senior Food Scientist, Cheese Product Development & Food Design to join our Global Dairy and Alternative Dairy Applications team. In this role, you will lead and execute innovation projects focused on cheese making. This position requires a hands-on approach to food design, a strong foundation in food science, and technical curiosity. Youll apply your expertise across the full product development lifecycle, from ideation to commercialization, in a collaborative, cross-functional environment. This role reports to the Manager - Global Dairy and Alternative Dairy Applications What Youll Do: 30 Lead product development initiatives in the cheese category by partnering with cross-functional teams, including Marketing, Region Technical Services, and customers to identify and deliver differentiated product solutions. 30 Translate voice of customer and key customer value propositions from regional teams to technical solutions that make our customers breakthroughs possible. 30 Formulate and optimize dairy and alternative dairy cheese in laboratory and pilot settings, overcoming technical challenges and ensuring commercial feasibility. 30 Design and conduct experiments, analyze data, and apply advanced expertise to optimize protein, fat, and carbohydrate interactions for consumer liking and process efficiency. Identify and evaluate novel ingredients or enzymes that could enhance cheese properties or improve yields. 30 Serve as the subject matter expert in cheese applications, providing guidance and innovative solutions to complex technical challenges and supporting commercialization efforts. 30 Evaluate new ingredients, formulation structures, and technologies to enhance performance and functionality that drives consumer liking. 30 Manage Applications project timelines and deliverables, and clearly communicate progress, findings and recommendations to stakeholders. 30 Coordinate sensory and consumer testing activities, manage sample production, and monitor product quality and organoleptic attributes throughout shelf life through analytical measurements (e.g. pH, viscosity, brix, solids, etc.) and routine tasting sessions. Collaborate with Sensory, Rheology and Texture teams for in-depth product evaluations. 30 Support scale-up and industrialization in partnership with global and/or regional teams, or directly with customers as needed. 30 Maintain accurate and detailed technical and experimental documentation and ensure compliance with nutrition, regulatory, and food labeling standards. 30 Stay informed on industry trends and participate in relevant associations and conferences. Collaborate with dairy research centers and leverage insights from academia to ensure innovations translate into production. 30 Deliver impactful internal and external presentations, trainings and technical documentation to demonstrate Ingredions innovation capabilities. 30 Collaborate widely and actively with Ingredions Dairy/Alt. Dairy Application community to share knowledge, best practices, and technical insights. 30 Drive intellectual property development, contributing to patents that secure a competitive edge. What youll bring: 30 Bachelors degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Engineering or related field with at least 8-10 years of progressive experience. 30 Proven knowledge of dairy proteins and cheese-making technologies, with hands-on experience in developing and commercializing products.. 30 Ability to translate dairy science and scientific research into scalable manufacturing solutions, commercially viable applications, and customer-focused innovation. 30 Experience with cheese formulation, product development, and manufacturing applications in traditional dairy cheese. Experience with alternative dairy cheese products and processes is also desirable. 30 Expertise in experimental design, process development, troubleshooting and technical data analysis. 30 Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including technical reporting and impactful presentations. 30 Ability to collaborate effectively across functions and influence stakeholders at all levels. 30 Willingness to travel up to 20% for customer visits, facility trials and conferences. Who You Are: 30 A creative problem solver with strong scientific rigor and a passion for food innovation in the cheese space. You must be willing to play a part in developing new effective cheese technologies. 30 A collaborative team player with proven industry experience, including exposure to pilot and plant manufacturing environments, and capable of scaling up products while troubleshooting processing challenges. 30 A clear communicator committed to commercial excellence, with the ability to translate technical findings into business impact. 30 Curious, proactive and eager to stay at the forefront of industry trends and emerging technologies. Relocation Available: Yes, Within Country Pay Range: $102,100.00-$136,166.67 Annual This pay range is not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Final base salary will be determined based on several factors which may include but are not limited to responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data and applicable bargaining agreement (if any). Incentive Compensation: As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Ingredion Annual Incentive Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus. Benefits: Full-time roles are eligible for our comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, dental and vision coverage as well as a 401(k) plan with an competitive company match.