Main Purpose

Drive innovation by leading novel process development and advanced data analytics initiatives to enable disruptive product and process solutions aligned with the company’s strategic priorities. Translate scientific insights and complex data into actionable innovation roadmaps, scalable processes, and strategic decisions, fostering cross-functional collaboration and external partnerships to accelerate the adoption of responsible technologies and enhance product and process performance.

 

Main Responsabilities

Novel process development

• Lead and conduct cutting-edge research on novel process development aligned with Sigma’s business strategy and long-term goals.

• Translate scientific and technical insights into actionable innovation roadmaps that align with market needs and internal strategic priorities.

• Lead the end-to-end research lifecycle of emerging processesing technologies (e.g., extrusion, ultrasound, enzymatic treatment, 3D printing) —from hypothesis development, experimental design, lab-scale testing, to pilot validation and process scale-up to create disruptive products.

Innovation and Technology Integration

• Monitoring of trends, academic reasearch, and industry innovations related to novel processes, to incorporate them into responsible proteins/fats platforms as enablers for responsible proteins adoption (structure modification).

• Fostering of conversations with suppliers, start-ups, universities, and/or innovation hubs to accelerate technological development and evaluate opportunities to co-create solutions.

• Establish and manage technical partnerships with key ecosystem players, including academic institutions and research organizations, to drive collaborative research initiatives.

Analytical and specialized measurment

• Act as a subject matter expert in measurement and analytics techniques: Guide internal teams on ingredient functionality and develop chemometric models for quality control, material characterization, and process optimization.

• Drive innovation and competitiveness by leveraging scientific knowledge, research insights, and state-of-the-art analytical tools.

• Contribute to product design, product optimization and materials research to ensure manufacturing and design’s cost-effectiveness while maintaining product integrity and specifications

Data Analytics For Decision-Making

• Data analysis to extract actionable insights, trends, and correlations that can support decision-making for product development, ingredient quality, and/or process performance.

•Utilize multivariate statistical analysis (e.g., PCA, PLS, DOE) to identify key process drivers and uncover hidden insights from complex R&D datasets.

• Provision of guidance and training to team members on data analysis tools, best practices in data interpretation, and the use of statistical software.

• Demonstrate strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret complex data sets and translate them into strategic decisions.

 

Must-Have Skills

Ph.D. or Master’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biotechnology, or a related technical field. 8+ years of experience in food R&D, analytical science, or process development, ideally within consumer packed goods space. Proven experience with chemometrics or food-focused data interpretation tools for analytical modeling, calibration, and decision support. Expertise in food characterization techniques, including rheology, thermal analysis (DSC/TGA), texture analysis, and spectroscopy. Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional innovation projects from early-stage research to commercialization. Excellent communication, leadership, and project management skills, with the ability to work across global and regional teams. Strong communicator and proficient storyteller with the ability to explain complex solutions to non-technical audiences. Passion for sustainable innovation and transforming scientific insights into business value.

 

Language:

English C1 / C2 (spoken and written) is required.

 

At Sigma, we promote uniqueness. We recognize and celebrate the unique value of people, promoting equal opportunities without discriminating based on political affiliation, culture, age, pregnancy, marital status, gender, nationality, socioeconomic level, maternity, paternity, religion, sexual orientation, ethnic origin, or type of disability.

 

Join our community of more than 60 nationalities in four regions!