Senior Product Development Technologist - Ice Cream

Job Title: Senior Product Developer
Location: Colworth Science Park
Work-Level: 1D

The Ice Cream division at Unilever is preparing to stand on its own, aiming to become an independent, EUR 8.3 billion publicly listed company by the end of 2025. We’re on a mission to create the ultimate snacking company.​ A place where growth, innovation, founder and ownership mentality, and performance are cultivated and rewarded. And where we craft extraordinary ice cream experiences - transforming ordinary moments into lasting memories.​ Because we know, life tastes better with ice cream.​

The Magnum Ice Cream Company is all about growth. Growing our business. Growing our customers’ businesses. Growing our people’s careers.​ Growth begins with empowerment. So we free our people to be innovative, responsible entrepreneurs, driven and equipped to give our consumers more amazing products and unforgettable moments – and having fun doing it.​  

With 19.000 expert ice cream colleagues and iconic brands like Wall’s, Cornetto and Ben & Jerry’s, loved in 76 countries, we are the world’s largest Ice Cream company leading the industry.  We have been taking pleasure seriously for more than 100 years, serving happiness with every lick or scoop of ice cream for generations.  

We are investing to unlock the full growth potential of The Magnum Ice Cream Company as a standalone entity, once we separate from Unilever, which is planned to happen before the end of 2025.  

We dream big but keep things simple to act fast.​ 

If you want to grow with us, make an impact, and shape the future of Ice Cream, this is the place for you! 

JOB PURPOSE

The Magnum Ice Cream Company in Europe is large and highly successful. The EU Ice Cream Research Development and Innovation (RD&I) team is the driving force behind the creation and delivery of benefit-led, innovative ice cream products across our world-renowned global (e.g. Magnum, Carte d’Or, Cornetto, Walls), premium (e.g. B&J, GROM) and regional (e.g. Cremissimo, Ingman, Evga, Cucciolone) brands. The team embrace agile innovation and are fully connected to countries and markets to land global, regional, and local projects in the markets.
The business reaches across all Ice Cream experiences from familiar in-home tubs, pints and mono portions and out of home scooping to global and local classics and kid’s favourites.
In this role you will be the RD&I first point of contact in an area of the portfolio. You will lead projects in close partnership across functions (Marketing; Supply Chain; Procurement) as well as key (external) partners and suppliers (e.g. 3PM, Flavour and Ingredients suppliers). You will manage a portfolio of projects across innovation, quality, complexity and cost reduction. And will use your understanding of consumer and customer needs to shape and deliver brilliant, sustainable, product experiences.

RESPONSIBILITIES
• Plan, organise and execute a variety of project types as assigned under guidance from line manager, working closely with RD&I experts from a variety of fields.
• Work closely with marketing teams in global, European and local country teams to define projects scope at start of projects.
• Use your creative talents to develop great products.
• Lead technical delivery of projects. This includes diverse topics such as product concept development; formulation design; lab and pilot plant prototypes; cost calculation; specifications; quality assessments; legislation compliance checks and claims assessments.
• Manage supplier relationships working closely with other functions such as Procurement.
• Lead and manage pilot plant and factory trials for prototype/product development.
• Write and manage specifications and systems data for the products you work on.
• Provide key updates for our Innovation Process Management and other relevant systems
• Develop selling stories and supporting Customer Development teams with sell-in meetings.
• Provide support and training for more junior members of the team.


KEY RELATIONSHIPS
• European & local country Marketing Team
• Global & European Supply Chain (factories, planning, quality, etc.) and Procurement Teams
• Supplier/partner organisations
• Technical RD&I specialists (CTI, Processing, Packaging, Formulation, Nutritionist, Digital & Data)
• Other functional representatives including Finance, Legal, CMI and Quality

ALL ABOUT YOU
• Degree level qualification (or equivalent) and / or relevant experience in a technical discipline preferably in food technology or development.
• Experience of working cross-functionally and with third parties
• Experience of leading projects from brief to delivering in-market
• Passion for creative food product design and development
• Excellent communication and project management skills
• Attention to detail especially with experimentation, data recording and analysis
• Time management and priority setting
• Health & Safety
• European language skills are highly desirable

LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOURS
• Purposeful impact
• Personal mastery
• Consumer love
• Agility
• Passion for high performance

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
• Occasional short business-trips within Europe may be required.

As publicly announced, Unilever will separate its Ice Cream business which is expected by the end of 2025. This role will transfer to the new Ice Cream company.

Unilever embraces diversity and encourages applicants from all walks of life. This means giving full and fair consideration to all applicants and continuing development of all employees regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage and civil partnership, and pregnancy and maternity. 

For the recruitment of this position, we would like to emphasize that local conditions apply to the position

ARE YOU EXCITED TO CRAFT THE ICE CREAM FUTURE?

To apply, you must do so online. Please do not forget to upload your CV and a motivation letter.  

Your application will be reviewed against our requirements, and we will be in touch shortly after the closing date to provide you with an update on the status of your application.

Disclaimer

Equal Opportunity Employer: Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.