Company Overview

Synergy Flavors, part of the Carbery Group, is more than just a leading international supplier of ingredients to the global food and beverage industry—we’re a team driven by purpose. Our vision is simple yet powerful: enriching lives through healthier and tastier foods.

We believe great flavor starts with great people. That’s why we’re committed to hiring creative, passionate individuals who want to make a real impact. With deep expertise across food, beverage, and nutrition, our teams develop high-quality taste solutions that inspire innovation and elevate everyday experiences.

Your Role in Synergy's Success

The Senior Savory Application Technologist I is a highly experienced professional responsible for leading the development and optimization of savory food products. This role requires advanced technical expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership capabilities. The ideal candidate will independently manage complex projects, mentor junior team members or technicians, and provide technical support across internal teams and customer engagements. Operating under indirect supervision, this role has a moderate direct impact on business decisions and functional activities.

How You Will Contribute

Savory Senior Application Technologist

 

About the Company:

Synergy Flavors is a leading international supplier of value-added flavors and ingredients to the global food and beverage industry. Independently owned by Carbery, we benefit from over 130 years of flavor industry tradition and expertise. Our U.S. headquarters is located in Wauconda, Illinois, with additional operations in Rochester, New York; Hamilton, Ohio; and Brazil. Globally, we also operate in the UK, Ireland, and Thailand.

We are proud to offer you — an experienced Savory Product Development Professional — the opportunity to join a dynamic team that has helped shape some of the most recognizable food products in the market today. At Synergy, you’ll collaborate with talented technologists, flavor chemists, and cross-functional teams in a customer-focused, innovation-driven environment.

Our mission is simple: to make our clients’ food, beverages, and nutritional products taste great. To achieve this, we foster a culture of creativity, continuous improvement, and technical excellence — powered by some of the industry’s most passionate minds.

Position Summary:

The Senior Savory Application Technologist I is a highly experienced professional responsible for leading the development and optimization of savory food products. This role requires advanced technical expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership capabilities. The ideal candidate will independently manage complex projects, mentor junior team members or technicians, and provide technical support across internal teams and customer engagements. Operating under indirect supervision, this role has a moderate direct impact on business decisions and functional activities.

Roles & Responsibilities:

Product Development & Innovation

·       Independently develop and optimize savory product formulations using various flavor delivery systems.

·       Reverse engineer finished products based on label declarations and nutritional panels.

·       Demonstrate thorough understanding of batching, processing, and formulation techniques.

·       Create recipes featuring winning flavors, new technologies, and product design proposals to drive value for the savory flavor business.

·       Establish and execute testing protocols for shelf life and stability studies.

Technical Expertise & Support

·       Provide advanced technical support to internal and external customers during demos, presentations, plant trials, and production runs.

·       Maintain organized and efficient laboratory equipment and environment.

·       Participate in routine taste panels and sensory evaluations.

·       Demonstrate broad flavor knowledge and understanding of savory systems and applications.

·       Possess moderate understanding of finished product labels, nutritional panels, and ingredient statements.

·       Stay current with new ingredients, flavor trends, and changes to industry standards.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

·       Lead cross-functional teams for strategic internal projects and key accounts.

·       Collaborate frequently with Flavor Chemists, Account Managers, Marketing, Business Development, and other Application Technologists to deliver winning submissions.

·       May accompany account managers on sales calls or customer visits as technical support.

·       Understand the background and strategic context of incoming project requests.

·       Showcase flavors effectively to customers through innovative demos and presentations.

Project Management & Problem Solving

·       Lead projects independently, including planning, analysis, and communication of results.

·       Solve complex technical challenges by gathering and synthesizing information from internal and external sources.

·       Track and analyze project outcomes to inform future development.

Mentorship & Influence

·       Mentor and coach junior technologists, fostering technical growth and collaboration.

·       May direct Lab Technicians in batching finished products, screening flavors and conducting stability tests

·       Receive guidance from senior coaches/mentors while contributing to team development.

·       Demonstrate a broad understanding of Synergy’s business and strategic goals.

·       Moderate direct influence on functional activities and contribute to business decisions through technical leadership.

Travel Requirement

·       Domestic travel up to 30% to support customer visits, plant trials, presentations, and cross-functional collaboration.

·       Participate in and help execute trade shows demos, with moderate experience in representing technical capabilities and showcasing flavor solutions.

Qualifications:

Education

·       Bachelor of Science or higher in Food Science or other applied science.

Experience

·       Minimum 8 years of application lab experience in savory product development or related field.

·       5+ years of application lab experience in 2 or more of the following areas: meat application, dairy and dairy analogs, plant-based applications, flavoring seasoning blends and proteins, dips, sauces, and dressings.

·       Experience with retort processing of savory products is preferred.

·       Experience supporting plant trials and commercialization processes preferred.

Technical Skills

·       Advanced understanding of food preparation practices, mixing/blending techniques, and flavor systems.

·       Ability to reverse engineer formulations and interpret label/nutritional data.

·       Strong documentation skills; proficient in Excel, Word, and internal databases.

·       Ability to work accurately and efficiently across multiple complex projects.

Soft Skills

·       Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

·       Strong presentation skills

·       Strong leadership and mentoring capabilities.

·       Possesses strong organizational agility especially when leading cross-functional projects

·       Be able to develop and maintain strong peer relationships and collaborate effectively within a team environment.

·       Comfortable with ambiguity and capable of driving projects independently.

·       Positive attitude and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

Salary Range : $91,500 - $124,000

The actual compensation that you will be offered will depend on a variety of factors including geography, skills and abilities, education, experience and other relevant factors. This role will remain open until filled.

For more information on our benefits click here.

 

Our Commitment to our People

We are a diverse and growing workforce of over 1,000 people across eight countries globally. As we continue to grow, we want to ensure that Carbery Group continues to be a place where people are supported to develop and feel that they can do their best work. We are committed to driving growth, developing future capability and delivering results through our dedicated teams.

We offer competitive salaries, comprehensive benefits, and an inclusive workplace where your skills, perspectives, and experience help shape the future of our industry. Join us and be part of a team that values collaboration and makes a meaningful impact - from local communities to global markets.

Carbery Group is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to fostering a supportive work environment.