R&D Technologist

R&D Technologist (Fresh Milk & Cream)

Ballyragget, Co. Kilkenny

About Tirlán

Tirlán, formerly known as Glanbia Ireland, is a world-class food and nutrition co-operative, with a diverse portfolio of quality ingredients, leading consumer and agri brands.

A talented team of over 2,100 people manage Tirlán’s network of 11 production facilities and 52 agri retail outlets serving its communities with annual revenues of over €3 billion expected in 2022. Tirlán’s state-of-the-art headquarters in Kilkenny city and innovation centre in Ballyragget promote innovation, creativity and collaboration. Tirlán is committed to sustainability throughout the organisation through its comprehensive Living Proof programme, and the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) contained within it. For more information visit www.tirlan.com

Role Profile

The successful candidate will report into the R&D Manager, Fresh Milk & Cream. They will help manage and deliver projects designed to develop, test, and validate value added fresh milk & cream solutions for Tirlán’s customers within the Irish marketplace. Working within the R&D department, with key contacts in Commercial, Operations and Quality, the individual will support the development of projects focussed on innovation, new product development, customer applications and technical support.

This position requires an experienced technologist, with dairy processing knowledge, good technical laboratory skills, customer focus and some project management experience. The role requires someone that is enthusiastic and willing to learn & work as part of a team.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive for results and encourage an atmosphere of excellence in achieving robust and sustainable solutions for our fresh milk & cream business, through working with business development, operations, quality, and compliance;
• To assist with R&D, Product Management, Marketing and Sales teams to develop new and existing opportunities to realise the maximum value from our R&D pipeline;
• Conduct lab and benchtop experiments to evaluate concepts such as changes in product formulations, or manufacturing process;
• Evaluate existing product performance in various customer end-use applications at lab & pilot scale;
• Ability to organize, execute, manage, and document all pilot and plant trials in compliance with all R&D procedures;
• Review product and process trials against objectives and promptly report to stakeholders on outcomes and next steps;
• Progress projects through Tirlán’s NPD process, adhering to agreed timelines for product sign off, line trials & data submission to customers;
• Drive or support plant capability measurement & manufacturing optimisation projects;
• Liaise with cross-functional teams to problem solve product quality or consistency issues;
• Develop good working relationships with key suppliers & customers;
• Liaison with internal departments and relevant external organisations to co-ordinate and drive the completion of all activities in the development process from brief through to full production;
• Keep technically abreast of relevant developments in the field and promote synergies with other core ingredients in Tirlán’s portfolio;
• Keep up to date with marketplace trends, such as flavour innovations, new ingredient solutions that can be applied to the category.

Key Requirements

• Science based qualification in food science/nutrition;
• Preferred 3+ year’s relevant technical and/or operational experience in a value-added beverage or dairy ingredients business, or related FMCG based organisation;
• Managing internal technical projects and external suppliers to deliver projects on time, in scope and in budget;
• Some beverage and/or dairy processing technology experience;
• Good Culinary based skills an advantage;
• Attention to detail, concise report writing skills and ability to review projects with relevant teams;
• Demonstrate excellence in project management and aptitude for planning and delivering projects to completion;
• Cross-functional team player capable of liaising with several functions within the business;
• Good communication & influencing skills;
• Problem solving and ability to deal with ambiguity;
• Proactive and self-driven;
• Customer-focused;
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines;
• Proficient user of Microsoft Office especially Excel and Word.

If you are interested in this position, please apply with an up-to-date resume.

Join our Talent Pool

Considering a new career in Tirlán but this isn’t the role for you?! Then why not register your experience & sign up for career opportunities at www.tirlan.com/careers.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
Tirlán embraces diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion. We are committed to building diverse teams where different perspectives drive innovation and growth. We strive to create an inclusive workplace where people can bring their true self to work and achieve their full potential.

At Tirlán, we celebrate diversity, because we know that our individual strengths make us stronger together. We welcome and encourage interest from a wide variety of candidates, and we will give your application consideration, without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, or disability status. 

At Tirlán our culture will celebrate individuality, knowing that together we are more.

Tirlán owns leading consumer and agri brands such as Avonmore, Kilmeaden Cheese, Millac, Solmiko, Truly Grass Fed, Premier Milk, Wexford, mymilkman.ie and GAIN Animal Nutrition. 

About us:

The farmer-owned co-operative has a first-class track record of success in the global market. Rooted in a rich heritage of family farming and embedded in its communities, Tirlán has evolved to bring the passion of its farmers and their high-quality milk and grains to the international marketplace. Using modern-day technology and applying the best processes to its milk pool of three billion litres and its premium grains portfolio, Tirlán now exports to more than 80 countries.  Its award-winning brands are household names in Ireland, and include Ireland’s number one consumer dairy brand, Avonmore.

The organisation draws on a wealth of experience to deliver exceptional products and tailored nutritional solutions including Kilmeaden, Wexford, Truly Grass Fed, Solmiko, CheddMax and GAIN. Tirlán has a strong market presence in the UK, France, Germany, UAE, the US, North Africa, Japan and China.

Tirlán is a Values Based Organisation - www.tirlan.com