Come and join the leading #avoexperts 🥑
Westfalia Fruit is a leading multinational supplier of fresh fruit and related value-added products to global markets. Through our vertically-integrated supply chain we grow, source, ripen, pack, process and market quality avocadoes & fresh produce – 365 days a year & across the globe.
With the largest avocado-growing footprint in the world, we are recognised as the leading #avoexperts and considered as the supplier of choice to both retail & wholesale customers whom we serve from sales offices in the UK, Europe, North America, Latin America & Southern Africa.
We’re looking for a Senior R&D Engineer to join our team in Wingene, Belgium.
The Senior Research & Development Engineer will drive product and process innovation across Westfalia Fruit within it’s scaling convenience team, combining expertise in food product development, manufacturing processes and packaging technologies.
Responsible for managing projects from initial concept through to commercial production, the role will develop and optimise recipes, processes and packaging solutions, ensuring alignment with customer requirements, food safety standards and operational capabilities.
Working collaboratively across Quality, Production, Sales and Supply Chain, the role will lead industrial trials, process validation and continuous improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities to enhance product quality, manufacturing efficiency, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
Responsibilities include:
• Lead the end-to-end development and industrialisation of new food products, translating customer requirements, market trends and commercial opportunities into technically and commercially viable solutions.
• Develop, formulate and optimise recipes, balancing ingredient functionality, nutrition, product quality, cost, raw material utilisation and manufacturing capabilities.
• Plan, coordinate and evaluate laboratory, production and industrial trials, successfully scaling concepts from development through to full commercial production.
• Develop, validate and optimise manufacturing processes, identifying and resolving technical challenges relating to product consistency, processing conditions, freezing and thawing, production performance and product quality.
• Research, develop and validate innovative packaging materials, technologies and configurations, ensuring compatibility with products, manufacturing processes, customer requirements and operational needs.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities across products, processes and packaging to improve efficiency, quality, cost, sustainability and waste reduction.
• Identify, evaluate and collaborate with ingredient, raw material, packaging and technology suppliers to support innovation, alternative sourcing and technical development.
• Manage product and process validation activities, including customer samples, sensory evaluations, shelf-life testing, nutritional analysis, technical specifications and first-production monitoring.
• Maintain accurate and controlled technical documentation and data, including recipes, production instructions, process parameters, packaging specifications, GS1/customer specifications and relevant internal systems.
• Act as a key technical partner across Sales, Marketing, Quality, Production, Supply Chain and Customer Service, providing technical expertise, project updates and practical solutions while supporting food safety, HACCP and quality requirements.
• Degree or equivalent higher education qualification in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Several years of relevant experience within food manufacturing, combining product development with practical exposure to process engineering or production optimisation.
• Demonstrable experience in developing food formulations and successfully transferring new products from concept or laboratory scale into industrial production.
• Strong knowledge of food processing technologies, ingredient functionality, food chemistry and microbiology.
• Practical understanding of production equipment, process validation and manufacturing constraints.
• Experience evaluating packaging materials and their compatibility with food products and manufacturing processes.
• Sound knowledge of food safety, quality management systems and HACCP principles.
• Fluent in both Dutch and English, written and spoken (C1/Native) is essential