Manager Food Safety & Scientific Risk Assessment

About Flora Food Group

We offer consumers a compelling choice in four growing categories: butters and spreads, creams, liquids and cheeses. We hold leadership positions in many of the 100 countries we operate in, with iconic brands including Flora, Becel+ProActiv, Blue Band, Country Crock, I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, Rama, and Violife, together with our local brands and Professional business.

Global branded food champion Flora Food Group, offers the next generation of delicious, natural, nutritious food. Our products are more affordable and more sustainable than their dairy equivalents.

Location: Wageningen, Netherlands

Hybrid

About the position

The Manager Food Safety & Scientific Risk Assessment is a key partner to R&D and Innovation teams, applying scientific expertise to ensure safe product development and ingredient introduction. This role focuses on scientific risk assessment, enabling breakthrough innovation while safeguarding consumer health and regulatory compliance. Operating in a central function, you will influence global standards, guide risk-based decisions, and strengthen Flora Food Group’s food safety science capability.

You will report to the Global Director Quality & Food Safety.

You will:

• Lead scientific food safety risk assessments for new products, novel ingredients, and emerging technologies.

• Partner closely with R&D and Innovation teams to embed food safety science into product development processes.

• Own and continuously update food safety standards, material risk assessments, contaminant protocols, and allergen management frameworks.

• Define and implement robust ways of working for managing high- and low-risk materials, including new ingredients.

• Ensure all innovation projects complete the risk assessment process before market release.

• Provide expert guidance on microbiology, toxicology, and contaminant control strategies.

• Monitor food safety performance across operations, ensuring alignment with HACCP, GMP, and applicable regulatory standards.

• Act as a key point of contact for food safety-related audits, inspections, and stakeholder queries.

• Lead and mentor a team of Microbiologists and Toxicologists, fostering scientific excellence and proactive problem-solving.

Leadership & Development

• Build and empower a team focused on scientific rigor and innovation support.

• Promote a culture of science-driven decision-making across functions.

• Contribute to the strategic development of food safety science within the organization.

So what does it take to be successful in this role?  

• Master’s or PhD in Food Science, Microbiology, Toxicology, or related discipline.

• Minimum 5 years of experience in food safety with strong scientific application (preferably in innovation or R&D interface).

• Proven ability to evaluate novel ingredients and processes using scientific risk assessment tools.

• Familiarity with HACCP/GMP and regulatory frameworks (EU/FDA/CODEX).

• Exposure to manufacturing environments is a plus, but not the primary focus.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills; ability to translate science into actionable risk decisions.

What’s Next?

If this position sounds interesting, please hit the apply button now!

We understand your resume might not be up to date and recommend that you apply with what you have or your LinkedIn Profile. Flora Food Group is dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workplace, we understand that you might not meet all the requirements stated in the description, but we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this role or other roles. 

Flora Food Group is an employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and equal opportunities for all. We recruit based only on values, qualifications, performance, skills, behaviours, experience, and knowledge. We ensure job advertisements are free from unintentional bias.

No personal characteristics should be a barrier to joining Flora Food Group. We prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or other personal characteristics.