Food Shelf-life Specialist

**Handary is a company that specializes in providing natural solutions for extending the shelf life of food products to reduce waste and ensure high quality. We offer a combination of experimental food-deterioration diagnostics and natural shelf-life ingredients to effectively lower the risk and keep food fresh for its targeted shelf life. Currently, we are seeking a Food Shelf-life Specialist to join our team at the Handary Brussels Shelf-life Laboratory Center.**

**Tasks & Responsabilities**:

- As a Food Shelf-Life Specialist at Handary, you will be responsible for the following:
- Conducting shelf-life testing (chemical, physical, sensory, and microbiological) in our Food Shelf-Life Laboratory according to the shelf-life protocol, ensuring that tests are conducted in a timely and accurate manner.
- Coordinating the calibration and maintenance of equipment in the laboratory to ensure accuracy and reliability of test results.
- Maintaining laboratory facilities to the highest possible standard of cleanliness and hygiene to ensure the safety and quality of test samples.
- Preparing scientific-technical reports, protocols, PDSs, and other technical and regulatory documentation to communicate findings and recommendations effectively.
- Conducting case challenge studies effectively and efficiently to evaluate the effectiveness of our natural shelf-life solutions.
- Keeping up-to-date with the latest developments in your field of expertise through research and attending relevant conferences.
- Providing technical support to Sales & Marketing to assist with customer inquiries and develop effective solutions.
- Supporting and/or leading investigations/queries from our customers worldwide to identify and address any product quality issues.
- Interacting with our R&D team to identify innovations that are key to our company's success and contribute to the development of new natural shelf-life solutions.
- In this role, you will have the opportunity to work with a team of experts in the food industry, contribute to reducing food waste, and improve the quality of food products.**Requirements**:
- A PhD or Master's degree in Food Science/Food Technology/Food Business.
- 2 years of experience in R&D, preferably in Food Preservative Product Development.
- Good knowledge of working tools such as MS Office, Minitab, Combase, Sym’Previus.
- Strong biological science background, preferably in shelf-life tests, predictive microbiology, microbial analysis of food, development of in vitro modelling systems for bacteria, and anaerobic microbial cultivation.
- Interest in working with natural ingredients, clean label solutions, and innovation.
- Fluent in English.
- Excellent analytical skills.
- Creative thinker and solutions provider.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Self-starter with good organizational and leadership skills.