Scientist (Natural Flavor Ingredients )

Job Summary

Are you ready to shape the future of natural flavor innovation through cutting-edge biotechnology and collaborative research?

IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients and health & biosciences. We deliver sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products.

Taste: Crafting unique, technology-enabled flavor designs that define the identity of food and beverage brands, shape trends in flavor building, and fuel market success.

IFF in Union Beach, NJ is seeking a Scientist – Upstream Development, Natural Flavor Ingredients to join our Food Biotech R&D team!

It’s an exciting time to be part of IFF’s Food Biotech team. As a research scientist, you will play a pivotal role in the development of natural flavors and taste modulation ingredients aligned with corporate strategies and business goals. You will work semi-independently and within a highly collaborative team environment, contributing to upstream discovery and bio-based process development.

Be part of an innovative and dynamic team where together we can achieve greatness and make a real impact. Your potential is our inspiration.

Where You’ll Make a Difference

• Advance technologies that transform sustainable raw materials into high-value flavor ingredients via microbial fermentation and biocatalysis
• Support lab and bench-scale process development for upstream discovery
• Design and conduct microbial strain screening experiments
• Perform instrumental analysis (GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS) to study flavor chemistry and molecular mechanisms
• Collaborate with flavorists, sensory scientists, and application teams to validate ingredient performance
• Support scale-up processes and assist in supply chain and regulatory review
• Write organized reports and present findings to cross-functional teams
• Review patents and scientific literature to propose aligned research initiatives
  
  

What Makes You The Right Fit

• Ph.D. in Food Science, Microbiology, Biochemistry, or related field with 0–3 years of postdoctoral experience, or MS with 5 years in industrial flavor research
• Understanding of bioreactor principles and metabolic pathways
• Experience with instrumental analysis (HPLC, GC-MS)
• Strong knowledge of flavor chemistry and microbial strain screening
• Experience in sensory evaluation (taste and smell)
• Proficiency in statistical data analysis
• Self-motivated with a strong sense of ownership and teamwork
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work in a cross-functional team environment
  
  

How Would You Stand Out?

• Industrial laboratory experience in fermentation and downstream processing
• Experience with high-throughput screening for strains and metabolites
• Knowledge of flavor fractionation and reconstitution for target profiles
• Experience in molecular modeling and in silico screening of small molecules and peptides
  
  

Why Choose Us?

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid parental leave (16 weeks)
• 401(k) with 6% company match
• Career development programs and tuition reimbursement
• Employee assistance programs
• Inclusive and collaborative work environment
• Total Base Pay Range: 67.200,00 - 96.000,00
  
  

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more

Salary Ranges:

$81240- $101550