Senior Product Developer – Candy & Confectionery (All Genders)

About This Opportunity

We are representing a confidential confectionery company in their search for a Senior Product Developer specializing in candy and confectionery. This Hamburg-based role offers the chance to lead technical development for an innovative reduced-sugar product portfolio from initial concept through formulation, sensory validation, scale-up and market launch.

As Senior Product Developer, you will bring technical expertise to a high-growth category, ensuring every decision translates successfully from recipe development to factory production to consumer hands. This is an individual contributor role with significant ownership and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end product development for candy and confectionery projects from brief to launch, translating requirements into technical targets and managing formulation optimization, trials, and sensory validation
• Develop reduced-sugar and no-added-sugar products while maintaining exceptional taste, understanding ingredient impacts on texture, processing, stability and shelf life
• Plan and coordinate sensory testing, shelf-life studies and stability testing; prepare for pilot and industrial trials
• Work closely with co-manufacturers to troubleshoot production issues and implement solutions through to final production
• Manage formulations, specifications, technical documentation, ingredient sourcing and sample coordination
• Collaborate with Quality team to ensure compliance with food law, labeling, allergen, nutritional and claims requirements from project initiation
• Partner cross-functionally with Product, Quality, Operations, Procurement, Brand, Retail and Marketing teams
• Communicate risks early, challenge assumptions when appropriate, and maintain project momentum
• Document decisions and learnings to build more structured and predictable NPD processes

What We're Looking For

Required qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in food product development, R&D, or NPD with demonstrated track record from brief through formulation, sensory validation, scale-up and launch
• Hands-on experience in gummies, candy, chocolate, confectionery or related sweet-goods categories (mandatory)
• Deep understanding of how taste, texture, processing, stability, shelf life, ingredients and production realities integrate in successful products
• Experience with sugar-reduction or no-added-sugar systems and balancing product performance with consumer expectations
• Background working with ingredient suppliers and co-manufacturers, including involvement in pilot or industrial-scale production
• Comfort with specifications, technical documentation and food-law requirements
• Strong ownership mentality with ability to follow through on commitments
• Structured approach without bureaucracy; comfortable with ambiguity and willing to challenge briefs, assumptions or timelines when necessary
• Clear communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Degree or equivalent training in food science, food technology, chemistry, nutrition science, ecotrophology or comparable field
• Professional fluency in German and English

Preferred experience:

• Launched 10+ food products, ideally across multiple markets
• Strong knowledge of sugar reduction, sweetener systems, fibers and texture management
• Experience planning, conducting or interpreting sensory tests, shelf-life studies and stability testing
• Background in better-for-you food, functional food, private-label NPD, or fast-growing consumer brands
• Experience delivering products into direct-to-consumer and retail channels across DACH or European markets

How We Work With You

Our talent team at Get A Job.ai partners with exceptional companies to connect them with outstanding candidates. When you apply through our platform, a dedicated recruiter will review your qualifications and conduct an initial screening. If there's a strong match, we'll submit your profile to our client for consideration and guide you through their interview process.

Please apply exclusively through Get A Job.ai. Do not contact the client directly, as we manage all candidate communications to ensure a smooth and professional experience for everyone involved.

Location: Hamburg office with up to 2 home office days per week and option to work from abroad for agreed periods

Pay

Compensation details will be discussed during the screening process and are competitive for the Hamburg market and seniority level.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Get A Job.ai is committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or gender identity.