S&I Culinary Placement Student

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About Us

Established in 1985, Dawn Farms is a family-owned company and the largest dedicated supplier of cooked meat and plant-based ingredients and fermented and dried sausage products outside of the US. The company currently supplies world-leading food brands across more than 44 markets, including the UK, Europe, Asia and Africa. With over 1,000 employees we are committed to meeting the needs of our customers in a safe, innovative and sustainable way, all while strengthening the communities where they live and work.

Job Purpose

Dawn Farms is currently seeking an S&I Culinary Student to join our Science & Innovation Department to be based in our state of the art production facilities in Naas, Co. Kildare. The Science & Innovation (S&I) Culinary Student will play a key role in planning and testing new ideas, contributing to the growth of the business across different innovation platforms and markets. This position offers exposure to state-of-the-art food research and manufacturing, as well as diverse protein product development and applications. The student will gain experience working in a team environment and are expected to have a passion for science and technology. In this multidisciplinary role, the student will learn new techniques related to the food industry, conduct practical experiments/trials, and handle multiple assignments within the S&I team.

Location: Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland.

Salary: DOE

Working Hours: 39 hours per week, Mon. - Fri. (some flexibility required)

Role Responsibilities & Duties:

• Assist in practical experiments and trials, designing and testing new or improved methods and products in the S&I Pure Culinary Science kitchen and pilot plant.
• Collaborate closely with experienced Project Managers, advising on trial design, timelines, potential hurdles, and improvements to achieve technical advances.
• Evaluate new ingredients, materials, products, or processes to build S&I capabilities.
• Assist with the use of modern culinary equipment and innovative cooking techniques.
• Prepare samples for customer presentations.
• Ensure food safety and adhere to health and safety policies, standard operating procedures, and good hygiene practices.
• Maintain accurate records of recipes, processes, and test results.

Key Deliverables:

• Execution of practical trials, ensuring they are completed in a timely manner and based on the given brief.
• Complete and maintain accurate records of food trials, including ingredients, methods, outcomes, and recommendations.
• Consistently meet HACCP, hygiene, and health & safety requirements throughout the placement.
• Capturing of key learnings and feedback to share within internal communications to improve our innovation process.

Key Skills & Competencies:

• Undertaking a degree in Food Science, Culinary Arts or related field.
• General understanding of food applications and processing.
•  Excellent record-keeping and organisational skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to read, collect, analyse, and interpret technical information and data.
• Logical and scientific thinking applied to a wide range of problems.
• Ability to operate standard laboratory, kitchen, and pilot equipment following training.
• Troubleshooting skills are key to this role, and the student should be highly motivated and eager to learn.
• Project management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple activities simultaneously.
• Ability to distinguish colours and flavours.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs.
• Regularly required to lift and/or move materials or equipment up to 10kg and occasionally up to 20kg.

Why Dawn Farms?

We can offer an excellent opportunity to be part of a world-class team, equipping our teams with the knowledge and the necessary skills to achieve their full potential. Innovation is a key ingredient of our success in protecting our market position and keeping our competitive edge. To be truly innovative, we invest in recruiting and developing a highly skilled, ambitious and talented team.

'Dawn Farm Foods Ltd. is an equal opprtunities employer'