Associate Scientist / Meat application

About Kerry

About the role

Key responsibilities

• Support and execute application and innovation projects from experimental design through trial execution, data analysis, and communication of results across meat and poultry applications.
• Conduct hands-on development work in laboratory, pilot plant, and meat processing environments, including product formulation, processing, and evaluation.
• Design and perform application trials, interpreting results to translate scientific insights into practical, scalable solutions that meet customer and market needs.
• Develop and optimize products including processed meat applications such as sausages, deli meats, turkey, roast beef, and other protein systems.
• Provide technical support for customer and commercial projects, including troubleshooting, product optimization, and participation in technical discussions and customer presentations.
• Collaborate with Applications, Culinary, Commercial, Marketing, Sensory, Regulatory, and R&D teams to execute projects aligned with business objectives.
• Document and communicate technical findings through reports, trial summaries, and presentations for both technical and non-technical audiences.Participate in sensory programs and product evaluations to support application development and validation.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives involving laboratory methods, pilot plant operations, and application workflows.
• Support customer visits, demonstrations, and application trials at Kerry and customer locations.
• Maintain a safe, clean, and organized work environment while adhering to quality, food safety, and environmental standards.

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor's degree in Meat Science, Animal Science, Food Science, Food Process Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Hands-on experience with meat processing, food processing, formulation, or product development through academic projects, internships, research programs, or industry experience.
• Strong interest in meat science, meat processing, and applied product development.
• 1–5 years of experience in food or meat product development, processing, applications, or manufacturing environments.
• Experience working in pilot plant, meat processing, manufacturing, or USDA-regulated environments.
• Understanding of ingredient functionality including proteins, collagen, stocks, broths, starches, gums, flavors, and food protection systems.
• Foundational knowledge of food chemistry, meat science, microbiology, sensory science, and food processing.
• Experience conducting and documenting experiments in a structured, scientific manner.
• Mechanical aptitude and comfort operating, troubleshooting, and maintaining pilot plant and processing equipment.
• Experience working directly with customers or supporting customer-facing innovation projects.

The pay range for this position is $70,100- $122.000 in Annual Salary.  Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role.  Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.  The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity.  Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement.  This job posting is anticipated to expire on August 30th, 2026.