About Kerry

About the role

We are looking for a hands-on and creative R&D Technologist to join our growing savoury snack team, based at our R&D Centre in Dubai. In this role, you will develop and optimise savoury snack seasonings and noodle flavour systems — from initial bench concept through customer trials to commercial scale-up — partnering closely with our sales, marketing, and operations teams to deliver taste solutions that win in the middle east market.

This is an exciting opportunity for a technologist who is passionate about flavour, understands the nuances of regional snack and noodle culture, and thrives in a fast-paced, customer-facing innovation environment.

Key responsibilities

• Develop cost-competitive snack seasonings, leveraging flavour expertise alongside Taste Solutions capabilities to meet both business and customer requirements.
• Design and develop seasoning systems and taste solutions for extruded snacks, potato chips, nuts, crackers, puffed snacks, and noodles
• Conduct bench-scale trials, sensory evaluations, and iterative optimisation to deliver products that meet taste, texture, colour, cost targets and regulatory requirements
• Translate customer briefs and trend insights into compelling, commercially viable seasoning concepts
• Maintain and manage raw material library
• Maintain accurate R&D records, formulation databases, and trial documentation in line with internal systems
• Build and maintain strong customer relationships, delivering customer‑centric solutions and proactively managing opportunities to drive sustainable business growth.
• Provide technical support during customer plant trials and commercialisation
• Contribute to collection and portfolio development in close partnership with cross functional teams.
• Drive new product development (NPD) from concept through factory scale-up, applying technical expertise to develop, innovate, and commercialise seasonings while collaborating closely with operations and manufacturing teams to ensure efficient and scalable production.
• Apply a comprehensive understanding of the full Kerry Technology portfolio within snack seasoning development.
• Maintain strong commercial awareness, developing cost-effective formulations that deliver customer value, while leading cost optimisation initiatives.
  

Qualifications and skills

• B. Tech or M.Sc. in Food Science/Technology or equivalent qualifications
• 2–4 years of hands-on experience in snack seasoning formulation, noodle flavour development, or savoury flavour applications — within an ingredient supplier, flavour house, or snack/noodle manufacturer
• Solid understanding of dry seasoning systems — spice blending, flavour release mechanisms, coating adhesion, and Maillard/process flavour interactions
• Proficiency in sensory evaluation and ability to articulate and document flavour profiles clearly
• Strong project management and communication skills, with ability to manage multiple briefs simultaneously
• Proficiency in Arabic — written and spoken — is a significant advantage given the regional customer base across GCC and wider Middle eastern markets