R&D Lab Technician

Job content

We are seeking a skilled laboratory technician to join our R&D team at the Tereos corporate technology center.

Reporting to the Innovation Team Leader, Sweeteners & Carbohydrates, your responsibilities are to assist in various research and development activities in the domain of sweeteners refining and downstream processing in general. You will primarily work in the lab and pilot plant and support the project teams with the technology transfer to the production plants. On a need basis, you provide support to manufacturing and quality teams located at the Tereos plants in Europe.

The ideal candidate should have at least 10 years of relevant experience and possess strong analytical skills.

Tasks & Responsibilities:

• Assist in the development and optimization of new product formulations and processes.
• Perform various laboratory tests and experiments under the guidance of senior technicians and engineers.
• Make pilot set-ups, perform pilot trials and assist to production tests.
• Document your work, with all details, electronically. Maintain accurate records of experimental data and observations.
• Translate the received tasks and master planning into the personal planning and perform accordingly; gather all necessary resources and handle or report hurdles and conflicts.
• Prepare ion exchange resins columns at lab scale and conduct refining experiments and activated carbon techniques as well, for water and syrup treatment.
• Carry out filtration processes for water and syrup solutions, ensuring quality and purity as well be able to follow process parameters during operation.
• Eventually conduct stability and aging tests on liquid samples, recording and analyzing data.
• Follow general evolutions in the field; read scientific articles when relevant.
• Lab and pilot housekeeping, perform calibrations and do the maintenance, including contacts with suppliers (for new material, for maintenance or repair …).
• Make SOP`s for lab and pilot units and as well be responsible for some equipment.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to support product development and improvement initiatives.
• Follow laboratory safety protocols and maintain a clean and organized working environment, including 5S standards.

We offer

You will find yourself in a very interesting working environment and receive numerous opportunities for advancement. Tereos offers excellent training and fringe benefits. In addition to a competitive salary, a 13th month and holiday pay, you will receive a 14th month and a plant performance bonus (CAO90). We also have good hospitalization insurance, bicycle leasing and an excellent pension scheme. And, of course, not forgetting great colleagues and no traffic jams to work.

Requirements:

• You have a professional Bachelor (Bio-)Chemistry (or comparable) with minimum 10 years of experience in lab or pilot plant setting, preferably in the food industry, biotransformation, downstream processes.
• You are proficient in filtration processes for water and syrup solutions
• You are familiar with ion exchange and activated carbon techniques for water and syrup treatment.
• You have understanding of separation techniques (HPLC, GC, etc), and wet chemistry
• You have knowledge and experience on data acquisition and recording, especially in Excel or similar software tools.
• You have strong analytical skills and put accuracy and attention to detail in your work.
• You are detail-oriented with the ability to follow instructions and protocols accurately.
• You are an organizational talent, flexible and capable in setting priorities.
• You have good communication and teamwork skills.
• You are fluent in English (written and spoken). Knowledge of Dutch and French is a plus.