Job description
The post-holder will be a key member of Yeo Valley’s Food Science team, investigating and implementing the latest science in process and ingredient technologies to secure the future of Yeo Valley. The associate will work alongside the technical and wider Yeo Valley teams to manage a project that will allow us to achieve our goal of extending yogurt shelf-life. They will become a valuable subject matter expert on yogurt shelf life and future technology exploration, and be relied on to guide and inform business practices.
The Associate will:
• Take ownership of the project plan, ensuring all tasks are completed in
a timely manner.
• Carry out detailed analysis of the change of Yeo Valley’s product
over shelf life. Including quantification of flavour, colour, and microbial
changes.
• Identify, test and scale ingredient and technological solutions which
can be used to reduce the rate of product spoilage.
• Scrutinise large data sets to identify shelf-life weak points within
existing operations and practices and support root cause investigation to
eliminate these.
• Assess rapid microbial methods for analysing the spoilage potential of
a food product.
• Act as a supervisor and mentor to MSc, BSc and industrial placement
students. Identifying key experimental methods and enabling them to deliver
high quality and industrially relevant projects.
• Represent Yeo Valley and the University of Reading at conferences and
expos.
• Disseminate project findings to internal and external audiences at
conferences and workshops.
• Write technical-business case studies to support the implementation of
the identified technical solutions.
The Associate will be part of a product development team at Yeo Valley supported by the academic team at the University of Reading. The Associate will work with both the company and academic teams, receive support and guidance throughout the project, and play a key role in disseminating the project outputs across Yeo Valley and the University of Reading.
The postholder will receive the investment of a £4,000 professional development budget to spend on project relevant training courses/materials in addition to an 8-day management training course alongside other KTP associates.
They will produce regular reports detailing progress on each stage of the project. There will be the opportunity to represent Yeo Valley at an international conference during the project.
Project description
This is an exciting opportunity to steer a collaborative Knowledge Transfer Partnership between the University of Reading and Yeo Valley Ltd, the UK’s largest organic food brand. Yeo Valley manufacture a range of yogurt based products including Natural, Flavoured, Drinking Yogurts and pouches, plus high protein strained yogurt.
The successful applicant will carry out a key strategic project involving mapping the biochemical changes that occur within a yogurt structure over shelf-life. The goal will be to drive a technical innovation which will allow a shelf-life extension of 40% without detriment to quality, sustainability, or nutrition.
This post is a 24-month fixed term contract based primarily at Yeo Valley Rhodyate, Blagdon Somerset, BS40 7YE with visits to other Yeo Valley sites at Crewkerne and to the University of Reading.
About the business
Yeo Valley Ltd manufactures a range of sustainable and nutritious yogurt base products including Natural, Flavoured, Drinking Yogurts and pouches, plus high protein strained yogurt. https://www.yeovalley.co.uk/
Food Manufacturing
Dairy Science
A good first degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemical/Biochemical Engineering, or equivalent.
19 August 2024
16 September 2024
KT24004
The post-holder will be a key member of Yeo Valley’s Food Science team, investigating and implementing the latest science in process and ingredient technologies to secure the future of Yeo Valley. The associate will work alongside the technical and wider Yeo Valley teams to manage a project that will allow us to achieve our goal of extending yogurt shelf-life. They will become a valuable subject matter expert on yogurt shelf life and future technology exploration, and be relied on to guide and inform business practices.
The Associate will:
• Take ownership of the project plan, ensuring all tasks are completed in a timely manner.
• Carry out detailed analysis of the change of Yeo Valley’s product over shelf life. Including quantification of flavour, colour, and microbial changes.
• Identify, test and scale ingredient and technological solutions which can be used to reduce the rate of product spoilage.
• Scrutinise large data sets to identify shelf-life weak points within existing operations and practices and support root cause investigation to eliminate these.
• Assess rapid microbial methods for analysing the spoilage potential of a food product.
• Act as a supervisor and mentor to MSc, BSc and industrial placement students. Identifying key experimental methods and enabling them to deliver high quality and industrially relevant projects.
• Represent Yeo Valley and the University of Reading at conferences and expos.
• Disseminate project findings to internal and external audiences at conferences and workshops.
• Write technical-business case studies to support the implementation of the identified technical solutions.
The Associate will be part of a product development team at Yeo Valley supported by the academic team at the University of Reading. The Associate will work with both the company and academic teams, receive support and guidance throughout the project, and play a key role in disseminating the project outputs across Yeo Valley and the University of Reading.
The postholder will receive the investment of a £4,000 professional development budget to spend on project relevant training courses/materials in addition to an 8-day management training course alongside other KTP associates.
They will produce regular reports detailing progress on each stage of the project. There will be the opportunity to represent Yeo Valley at an international conference during the project.