Innovation Scientist II

We are IFF. We are the catalyst for discoveries that spark the senses and transform the everyday. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. is a leading innovator of sensorial experiences that move the world. At the heart of our company, we are fueled by a sense of discovery, constantly asking, “what if?” 
That passion for exploration drives us to create unique scents and tastes in fine fragrances and beauty, detergents and household goods, as well as beverages, confectionary and food products.
Our global team members take advantage of leading consumer insights, research and development, creative expertise, and customer intimacy to develop differentiated products. Dreamers and doers, we work tirelessly to discover flavors and fragrances that inspire customers and delight consumers. We are fueled by our four corporate values; passion, creativity, expertise and empowerment. It is the unique blend of these values that make us IFF. The Company leverages its competitive advantages of brand understanding and consumer insight combined with its focus on R&D and innovation, to provide customers with differentiated product solutions. 

The Role

As a Scientist within the Scent Technology and Innovation team, you will work together with R&D, Perfumers, Operations and Commercial teams to create and deliver innovative technologies. You will be responsible for understanding how these technologies interact with fragrances ingredients and customers formulations in order to design and deliver fragrance solutions which will delight our consumers. You will be part of the Fabric Care team located in Hilversum and will share our knowledge and learning with other teams globally. 

Major Responsibilities Include

•    To be curious about fragrance technology innovation and have passion to solve related problems 
•    Build knowledge in the Fabric Care Category on customer and consumer needs, market trends and IFF’s and competitors technologies.
•    Build strong relationship with customer account teams and offer technical support to meet their business objectives
•    Define and adapt technical strategies to meet specific innovation objectives
•    Collaborate with cross functional teams to ensure technical strategies are aligned with business objectives
•    Work with R&D, Perfumers, Evaluators and Operation teams to identify and understand the challenges and risks 
•    Develop a network of colleagues within IFF to expand application & business knowledge
•    Lead the technical scoping to assess the feasibility of new ideas/technologies
•    Lead (with some support) the Innovation project(s) to achieve the defined KPI’s and milestones
•    Share knowledge of Innovation projects with the Value to market teams to promote new technologies with customers
•    Support junior team members in their development
•    Integrate feedback from the creative teams and accounts into the project.
•    Identify potential patent opportunities and work with IP lawyer to execute filings
•    Follow safe laboratory practices 

Essential skills & competencies

•    Project planning skills
•    Result driven and excellent problem-solving skills 
•    Experience in product application/development  
•    Able to react quickly to changing environments
•    Turning data into actionable insights
•    Customer focused  
•    DOE (design of experiment) experience
•    Ability to work cross-functionally
•    Knowledgeable in lab safety, relevant application, raw materials and chemical processes
•    Fluent in English, other language proficiency (French, Dutch, German) is a plus.

Competencies

•    Curious, enjoys a difficult/complex challenge 
•    Good interpersonal and communication skills
•    Drives to deliver business relevant technical solutions 
•    Open minded, embraces diversity, shows courage (take risks, learns from success and failure), flexible, deals well with pressure
•    Team player 
•    Passionate about fragrance and product development
•    Demonstrates a strong quality of perseverance
•    Self-motivated.

Preferred Skills

•    Home or Personal Care formulation, Polymer, Colloid Science experience 
•    Good olfactory evaluation skills (an internal test will be part of the interview process) 
•    Experience in the fragrance/flavor or fast-moving consumer goods industry. 

Required Experience

•    Bachelors or Masters in Chemistry, Polymer, Colloid science or related discipline
•    6-7 years (with BSc) or 2-3 years (with MSc) working experience in the industry or in comparable industries (consumer products), preferably in an international environment.
 

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more