Senior Technologist

About Kerry

About the role

At Kerry, we're shaping the future of food. We are looking for an experienced and commercially-minded Senior RD&A Technologist to join our Meat Applications team at our Global Technology & Innovation Centre in Naas.

This is an exciting opportunity for a passionate food professional with strong meat processing expertise to lead customer-focused innovation projects from concept through to launch. Working closely with leading food manufacturers across Europe, you will develop cutting-edge solutions that help our customers meet evolving consumer demands while driving growth for both Kerry and our partners.

As a key member of the team, you will combine technical excellence, project leadership, market insight, and customer engagement to deliver innovative products that are commercially successful, operationally achievable, and fully compliant with all regulatory requirements.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the development and application activities associated with key customer projects within the meat category.
• Partner directly with customers to create innovative new concepts and renovate existing products tailored to their specific needs.
• Manage product development projects from brief through to commercial launch, ensuring delivery against timelines, budgets, and objectives.
• Coordinate product launches and support plant trials at Kerry manufacturing facilities and customer sites.
• Drive proactive innovation aligned with Kerry's promotional campaigns, strategic technologies, and market trends.
• Conduct research and testing to improve existing products and develop new solutions, ensuring ingredient functionality meets customer expectations.
• Provide technical expertise and troubleshooting support to customers on product and application challenges.
• Build strong relationships with customer development teams and become a trusted technical partner within your assigned category.
• Work cross-functionally with Commercial, Regulatory, Operations, Marketing, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to ensure successful project delivery.
• Monitor market developments, consumer trends, and competitor activity, including conducting sensory evaluations and retail reviews.
• Identify opportunities to grow customer business through innovative, commercially viable solutions while ensuring compliance with local market requirements.

Qualifications and skills

• BSc Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related discipline.
• Experience within the food industry, preferably in meat applications, product development, or food manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of meat technologies, ingredients, and processing systems.
• Demonstrated experience supporting customers and delivering successful product development projects.
• Understanding of commercial considerations and how to translate customer needs into winning food solutions.
• Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Experience conducting factory trials, customer visits, and technical presentations.
• Willingness to travel to customer locations and Kerry sites as required.