As a Product Development Lead, you will bridge the gap between cellular biology, food science and consumer preferences. You will be responsible for taking cell-cultured biomass (fat, muscle, or connective tissue) and creating a great product. This involves finding the optimal composition using cultivated and plant based and other functional ingredients to create the next generation of meat alternatives. Your goal is to achieve parity with traditional animal products in taste, texture, aroma, and nutritional profile.
You will report to the CPO, and your New Product Development (NPD) team will be(come) part of the commercial team.
What are your key responsibilities?
Planning and organizing
- You prioritize, plan and manage the NPD activities based on the company priorities.
- You manage the organization of tastings, visits and shipments.
Communication / Networking: you closely interact with numerous stakeholders, internally and externally:
- Externally: (ingredient suppliers, equipment suppliers, chefs, consumers, academia, supply chain partners - tech transfer).
- Internally: operations, linking pin to R&D, Marketing / product management, regulatory, QA/QC, procurement, cost/price manager.
Formulation & Prototyping: You lead the bench-scale development of hybrid formulations, optimizing the ratio of cultivated cells to plant-based ingredients and the processing strategy.
Sensory Optimization: Conduct rigorous sensory evaluations to refine flavor profiles, mouthfeel, and "cookability" (e.g., Maillard reaction, fat release). Maintaining the internal taste panel is part of the job responsibility.
Functional Integration: You work closely with the scientific team to understand how different cell harvest methods affect final product texture and binding.
Ingredient Sourcing: Identify ingredients that complement cultivated components while maintaining a "clean label" ethos and while managing the product cost price.
Scale-Up & Tech Transfer: Transition successful prototypes from the R&D kitchen to internal or external production lines, ensuring consistency and safety.
Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all formulations meet safety standards for cultivated foods and maintain meticulous documentation for IP and regulatory filings.
What are we looking for?
Education: Master’s or PhD in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related biotechnical field.
Experience: 5+ years in food product development, ideally within the "Alternative Protein" or meat processing sectors.
Technical Skills:
- A thorough understanding of protein functionality, lipid oxidation, and hydrocolloids.
- Familiarity with extrusion (high-moisture or dry) and texturization techniques.
- A good understanding of the theoretical and practical aspects of flavor formation in meat products.
- A good understanding of the food processing and packaging technologies common to meat processing.
Analytical Prowess: Proficiency in texture profile analysis (TPA), rheology, and GC-MS data interpretation for aroma profiling.
(Project) management skills
Preferred additional Skills
Culinary Background: A "food-first" mindset or professional culinary training is a massive plus.
Regulatory Knowledge: Experience with novel food applications (like EFSA) and compliance related issues.
Agility: Comfort working in a fast-paced, high-uncertainty startup environment.
Hands on: while you lead the product development team you don’t shy away from “getting your hands dirty” either.
What we have for you!
We are a small team working on an innovation that we believe will have a huge global impact. As part of this exciting project, we promise that you will get to:
- Enjoy an enterprising work culture with lots of freedom in your projects.
- Combine science with a commercial goal.
- Enjoy 25 days of paid leave per year.
- Possibility of going for a 38h contract in order to get extra days off.
- Have access to fundamental trainings and be part of our continuous learning culture.
- Work in the beautiful, historical city of Maastricht.
- Enjoy flexible working hours.
- As part of competitive remuneration, receive a bonus plan similar to stock options called Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs).
If you think this position would suit you, please apply below before the end of the month of February. We cannot wait for you to jump on board and be a part of our amazing journey! If you have any questions about the position, please do not hesitate to contact our CPO Peter Verstrate (peter@mosameat.com).
*Please be aware that emails coming from our automated Homerun system occasionally end up in spam/junk mail filters!