Senior Scientist - Microbiology

The IFF Innovation Center of Dangé-Saint-Romain (France-86) is hosting its Cultures R&D Group providing expertise on lactic acid bacteria and enzymes to support the commercialization of new starter cultures for the fermented food industries with a big focus on dairy. These starter cultures are based on carefully selected microorganisms which are associated together in relevant food model to meet customer needs in term of new and/or improved functionalities (acidification control, texture modulation, flavor development, bacteriophage resistance…).
IFF is seeking a highly motivated Senior Scientist in Microbiology to join the Cultures R&D Group and lead foundational and method development research related to lactic acid bacteria physiology. As a successful candidate, you will apply microbiology and molecular biology approaches towards a greater understanding of strains performance on collaborative projects within a diverse and international Cultures and Food Protection R&D Team. You will join the Strain Development group, with colleagues having expertise in microbial physiology, biochemistry, virology, genetics, genomics and analytical chemistry. You will perform both routine and highly customized tasks and analyses and will be responsible for building and maintaining top notch capabilities in microbiology with other members of the Cultures group. Essential to the process are a thorough understanding of microbial physiology, metabolism and genetics.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Independently conduct research on business directed projects both independently and within a project team environment through the application of microbiological and molecular biology methods and approaches to develop new products and technology in support of the Health & Biosciences Division.
• Lead and develop an Applied Microbiology center of expertise. Keep up to date on new trends, technical developments and skills.
• Develop project plans in conjunction with Group manager and Project leaders.
• Independently execute research plan to include experimental design and documentation.
• Interpret results and formulate future research actions or alternative technical solutions.
• Communicate research internally and externally.
• Become a technical expert, resource, and mentor – microbial physiology, genetics and molecular biology – focus towards lactic acid bacteria.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. with a minimum of 5+ years of relevant experience in related field.
• Trained in Microbiology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or related field with an emphasis in microbial physiology, metabolism and genetics.
• Experience with the biology of Gram positive bacteria.
• Familiar with genotyping, phenotyping, next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics techniques to identify and characterize bacterial physiology and function within the application.
• Knowledge and experience with molecular biology methodologies: nucleic acid manipulation and sequence analysis with an understanding of bioinformatics.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design, manage, and perform multi-task projects to a successful result.
• Possess excellent oral and written communication skills for presentation of scientific concepts and results to internal and external customers.
• Ability to:
  • Work independently and collaboratively is essential. Maintain strong working relationships within a multi-disciplinary environment. Show strong team spirit.
  • Be flexible in a changing environment and manage occasionally challenging shifts in priorities. Set priorities upon timelines.
  • Learn, interpret and apply department policies, procedures, rules and regulations. Observe safety precautions and abide by the company code of conduct in terms of safety, ethics, environment, and respect for people.

Desired Experiences:

• Project management: planning, tracking and reporting.
• Safety assessment of bacteria.
• High throughput screening applied to strain selection and/or improvement.
• Team management.

Location: Dangé-Saint-Romain, France.

Language: English.

Contract: Permanent (contrat à durée indéterminée, CDI).

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