Associate Scientist UFS Product Development

Unilever is hiring "Associate Scientist UFS Product Development"

Function: Research & Development

Reports to: Associate Director - R&D UFS NA

Location: Englewood Cliffs -800 Sylvan

Terms: Full Time - Hybrid (3 days at office and 2 HO)

IMPORTANT

• Earlier this year (March 2026), Unilever announced an agreement to separate our Foods business. Our Foods business, including brands such as Hellmann's and Knorr, will join forces with McCormick to become a global flavour leader, with leading positions across spices, seasonings, condiments and complementary food categories, supported by a strong retail and foodservice platform. McCormick has 135+ years of heritage, a presence in 150+ countries and territories, and a portfolio of trusted brands. The transaction remains subject to consultation, regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions with a targeted deal close of mid-2027.

WHO ARE WE?

Do you want to be part of a company that makes a difference around the world? At Unilever, we have a clear purpose-to make sustainable living the norm. Through our 400 brands, which reach 2.5 billion people every day, our goal is to create a positive social impact both globally and locally.

ABOUT FOOD SOLUTIONS (UFS)

Act like a founder, be part of a Winning team, accelerate your growth, stay ahead of the curve, enjoy the journey: JOIN UFS

Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) is the 2nd largest Business Unit of Unilever, is one of the 3 Power brands of the Foods Business Group, and a global market leader in Food Service. We are an independent Global Business Unit that operates in over 76 countries, and employs ~4000 employees. We have a unique B2B business model focused on serving chefs and our purpose is to free them to love what they do.

We at UFS have a bold and clear ambition and strategy in place for 2030 with a bold ambition on turnover and profitability, by being the best solution provider to our growing operator base. We plan to do this via a product first focus on superiority, by becoming the leader in AI powered Customer experience and by nurturing a Winning culture. We have had a history of delivering with excellence and resilient performance in the past few years. We also strive to stay 3 steps ahead in the industry. For example, our Future Menus Report identifies emerging culinary trends, making us a trendsetter for inspiring innovative solutions for chefs worldwide.

We have a culture of caring deeply not just for our business but also for our people. We foster an entrepreneurial culture built on speed, simplicity, trust, and a deep hunger to grow. Our people thrive on their roles being empowered and end to end - across all functions. We also invest heavily in building future skills and leaders. Our People agenda of Accelerate-Grow-Thrive consistently helps us lead in employee engagement, with scores exceeding Unilever scores across all dimensions and being one of the most engaged teams at Unilever.

Here, you will continuously learn, unlearn, and relearn, challenging yourself to accelerate your development in an end-to-end business and in end-to-end roles. If you're dreaming of contributing to Unilever's 2nd largest Business unit, a fast-growing business, where you're empowered so you can play to win and thrive as part of One Team with One Goal, then come and join us!

THE ROLE

• You love to win, and have fun doing it: You are passionate about product development and you are customer/consumer focused. You are comfortable with multi-tasking and operating in a fast paced, multi-faceted, and multi-cultural environment

• You're a dot connector: You are a problem solver: you break an issue into smaller parts to examine them. You build and manage relationships with cross-functional teams, key stakeholders, and strategic vendor partners to enable progress.

• You're a paradox navigator: You leverage your technical knowledge and experience, awareness of culinary and product trends and consumer insights to deliver superior new products that meet the project and business deliverables.

• You're a changemaker: You can identify and address emerging issues as well as set and manage priorities and continuously improve processes and practices

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Support projects: Execute agreed Cooking Aids R&D activities to deliver the brand's program, ranging from innovation, product superiority and margin enhancement.

• Works as a member of a cross-functional project team to deliver projects on time in full.

• Develop products: Independently design products against simple product briefs, design/execute test protocols for the various technical aspects of projects as required (e.g., prototype development and scale-up, shelf-life testing, analytical testing, etc.)

• Lead the process of specification/label creation in SAP PLM from the request to the approved status.

• Provide technical and product guidance

• Actively participate and/or represent R&D in cross functional meetings.

• Assess feasibility of new ideas and troubleshoot activities where formulation knowledge is essential.

• Support technical investigations using root-cause analysis and problem-solving techniques as required for existing and new products.

• Establish and maintain internal and external working relationships

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with R&D, Supply Chain and Marketing teams, customers, suppliers, and key stakeholders.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO SUCCEED

• B.S. Degree in Food Science or equivalent with experience in the food industry preferred.

• Ability to independently execute tasks and projects with moderate complexity

• Ability to develop, plan, conduct, and coordinate prototype development initiatives across multiple projects/tasks.

• Working knowledge in use of ingredients, formulation, process, and product design principles.

• Fully operational in specification creation and approval and costing.

• Ability to analyze and interpret data with guidance on final conclusions.

• Working knowledge of experimental design, root cause analysis and problem-solving techniques.

• Good understanding of manufacturing.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to construct trial/lab reports and presentations, including making recommendations.

• Ability to present information to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Pay: The pay range for this position is $68,000 to $74,000. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs.

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible.

Long-Term Incentive (LTI): This position is LTI eligible.

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.

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At Unilever, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive/succeed. All applicants will receive fair and respectful consideration, and we actively support the growth and development of every employee.

Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities.

For more information on your federal rights, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal

Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.