Technical Jobs at Unilever in the United Kingdom

Position: Microbiology Science & Technology Manager

About Unilever

Unilever is a British-Dutch transitional goods company with headquarters in London, United Kingdom and Rotterdam, Netherlands. It produces foods and beverages, cleaning agents, beauty products and personal care products in a very large quantity. However, food and beverage cover 40% of its total revenue. In overall, it is Europe’s seventh most valuable company as well as is one of the oldest multinational companies. Unilever sells its products in over 190 countries of the world.

Roles and responsibilities

The successful appointee will do the following duties

• Act as microbiology first point of contact in the provision of microbiological and preservation expertise for product developers in Food and Refreshment (F&R) Global & Regional Design, and for F&R Supply Chain (SC) & Quality support.
• Lead microbiological risk assessments to establish the basis for microbiological safety & stability of new products, as well as for SC support (e.g. for incidents, production lines).
• Also, develop novel insights and solutions in the area of food preservation systems (e.g. hurdle-technology, natural antimicrobials, etc.)
• Provide technical expertise in the design of microbiological experiments for innovation support and ensure the robustness of the data.
• Similarly, the provision of expert advice and input on operational guidance and food safety management systems.
• Conduct hygienic and risk assessments of manufacturing lines in response to microbiological safety and spoilage related incidents.
• Likewise, lead technical input for relevant good manufacturing documents and training material to ensure the maintenance of product & process design knowledge.
• Drive delivery and execution of the agreed program for the F&R Division and its brands.
• Similarly, play a leading role (together with team) in maintaining and developing the capabilities within the science area.
• Participate actively in the microbiology network in Unilever to align ways of working.
• Provide mentoring and guidance to microbiology technicians and assistant managers in setting up laboratory-based studies for S&T Platform and SC projects.
• Furthermore, develop a network and collaborations with internal and external Unilever contacts, manufacturing sites, 3rd party co-packers, QA personnel, other Unilever microbiology expertise groups, Supply Chain / Quality to deliver and implement microbiologically safe products and processes.

Requirements

• MSc or higher in a relevant subject (e.g. Food Microbiology, Food Safety, Food Science & Technology – with focus on microbiology)
• Proven experience in applied/industry microbiology roles (ideally in the food sector) as well proven track record of delivery and demonstrated success.
• Good influencing and communication skills (written and verbal); ability to convince and defend own agenda in front of internal stakeholders (within R&D and SC).
• Good team player as well as relevant microbiological research experience in a factory environment.
• Good appreciation and working knowledge of using ‘omics technologies and techniques.
• Ability to use technical judgment to guide team activities and program direction. Similarly, the ability to work in cross-disciplinary teams and in multi-cultural environments, with internal and external networks, e.g. Design, SC, Quality, 3rd parties, co-packers.
• Ability to keep abreast of new developments and opportunities within own program area – and able to harness in business-relevant ways.
• Fluent in English.