Fermentation Engineer

Fermentation Engineer

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the Role

A successful candidate will bring fermentation engineering expertise across pilot and manufacturing scales to drive process excellence and maximize asset performance. The role focuses on defining and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and leading continuous improvement initiatives using lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and microbial physiology principles.

The engineer will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams—including manufacturing, process science, quality, R&D, and business—to develop and optimize processes for fermented and spray-dried food ingredients. Responsibilities include leading product and process technology projects, supporting commercialization, and participating in root cause analyses (RCAs).

Strong emphasis is placed on safety, particularly in the operation of SIP (Sterilization-in-Place) and CIP (Clean-in-Place) systems, and on maintaining compliance with Quality & Food Safety Management Systems.

Key Responsibilities

Provide subject matter expertise in aseptic design and SIP and CIP systems to reduce contamination and improve bioburden control. Develop DoE-based experiments and modeling approaches to optimize fermentation parameters, yield, productivity and cost efficiency.

Use scale-down and scale-up modeling to predict and troubleshoot large-scale performance.

Plan and execute bench, pilot and production-scale fermentations using batch, fed-batch and continuous modes.

Maintain aseptic technique and hygiene protocols; troubleshoot contamination.

Support downstream operations (centrifugation, filtration, spray drying, evaporation), optimising for recovery, activity and yield.

Operate and troubleshoot pilot plant equipment and clean-in-place systems; ensure hygienic and food grade compliance.

Support and execute successful tech transfer to manufacturing partners including SOP's, equipment qualification and training.

Collect and analyse process data statistically and build models to support process decisions and continuous improvement.

Lead and support optimisation initiatives to increase yield, reduce cycle time, reduce costs and enhance safety and product quality.

Work cross-functionally with RD&A, QA/QC, engineering, production and strain teams; translate customer and internal requirements into actionable plans.

Mentor and coach junior scientists and technologists through informal leadership.

Maintain rigorous documentation of methods, results and SOP's; contribute to IP capture and patent support.

Adhere to and promote biosafety, hygienic design and quality management standards (e.g. BSL-2, GMP, FSMA, HACCP, ISO food-grade).

Qualifications and Skills

Support the Process Sciences/Process Technology manager with defining and tracking KPIs for each fermentation process on site. Launch and oversee projects to drive continuous improvement of KPIs.

Maintain and communicate control charts of fermentation KPIs that can be used to identify opportunities for improvement.

Degree in Fermentation Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biotechnology, or related field.

Experience in industrial fermentation and downstream processing.

Strong understanding of microbial physiology and aseptic design.

Familiarity with lean manufacturing and Six Sigma principles.

Excellent analytical, communication, and project management skills.