S&I Graduate

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About Us

Established in 1985, Dawn Farms is a family-owned company and the largest dedicated supplier of cooked meat and plant-based ingredients and fermented and dried sausage products outside of the US. The company currently supplies world-leading food brands across more than 44 markets, including the UK, Europe, Asia and Africa. With over 1,000 employees we are committed to meeting the needs of our customers in a safe, innovative and sustainable way, all while strengthening the communities where they live and work.

Job Purpose

Dawn Farms is currently seeking an S&I Graduate to join our Science & Innovation Department to be based in our state of the art production facilities in Naas, Co. Kildare. Our S&I Graduate will be responsible for delivering the experimental design and industrial trial phases of projects and other team support activities contributing to the continued growth of the business in its chosen innovation platforms and related markets. This is an opportunity for growth with exposure to state-of-the-art food research and manufacturing environment and diverse protein product development and applications. The successful candidate will be self-motivated, thriving in a team environment, has a passion for science and technology and a working knowledge within the areas of Chemistry, Nutrition, Process Engineering and Food Science. The position will be part of multidisciplinary S&I team and the candidate is expected to learn new techniques and have the flexibility to carry out multiple assignments.

Positions: Full-Time, Fixed Term 2 years.

Location: Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland.

Salary: DOE

Working Hours: 39 hours per week, Mon. - Fri. (some flexibility required)

Role Responsibilities & Duties

• Designs and executes experimentation/trials in addition to designing new or improved methodologies and procedures to conduct validations and experimental testing.
• Works closely with Project Managers and advises on trial design, timelines, potential hurdles, and trials improvement to achieve technical advances at every trial.
• Generates and interprets data. Maintains SharePoint databases. Documents results in OneNote S&I trial reporting system.
• Effectively presents data/results to S&I team to drive decisions on projects during the experimental and prototype testing phase.
• Evaluates new ingredients, materials, products, or processes contributing to S&I capability building.
• Develops expertise on process and analytical methodologies. Prepares and updates specifications and SOPs on new or updated S&I capabilities.
• Contributes to knowledge building and other innovation activities by capturing key learnings and feedbacks to share within internal communications to improve our innovation process.
• Works closely with other S&I Technologists to coordinate trial planning and within team transfer of knowledge.
• Works with cross-functional departments to drive the execution of collaborative project tasks.
• Advises and guides other team members and other departments on scientific/technical matters, as necessary.
• Maintains safe working environment by practicing and coaching in established safety procedures.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, or related field.
• General understanding of food applications and processing.
• Ability to read, collect data, analyse, and interpret technical information.
• Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as percent, ppm and basic algebraic equations.
• Ability to apply principles of logical/scientific thinking to a wide range of problems.
• Ability to operate a variety of standard laboratory and pilot equipment and instrumentation (such as food production equipment, pH meters, balances, etc.).
• Excellent record keeping and organisational skills with attention to detail.
• Project management skills with ability to prioritize multiple activities simultaneously.
• Troubleshooting skills are key to this role.
• Ability to distinguish colours.
• Ability to taste and distinguish flavours.
• Candidate should be highly motivated and eager to learn.
• Understanding of GMP and Food Safety concepts.
• Basic ability to analyse and interpret data.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to build constructive relationships with internal clients and outside suppliers.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs.

Why Dawn Farms?

We can offer an excellent opportunity to be part of a world-class team, equipping our teams with the knowledge and the necessary skills to achieve their full potential. Innovation is a key ingredient of our success in protecting our market position and keeping our competitive edge. To be truly innovative, we invest in recruiting and developing a highly skilled, ambitious and talented team.

What we can offer you?

• 22 Days Annual Leave.
• Health Insurance Contribution.
• Pension Plan.
• Subsided Canteen.
• Training and Development Opportunities for further career progression.
• Employee Assistance Programme (Free access/support to Life Coach’s, Dietitians, Work Relocation advice etc.)
• Bike to Work Scheme.
• Christmas savings scheme.

'Dawn Farm Foods Ltd. is an equal opprtunities employer'