Döhler — a leading global producer of natural ingredients and solutions for the food, beverage, lifestyle, and nutrition industries — is seeking a hands-on, innovative, and quality-conscious Laboratory Specialist to join its product development team in Darmstadt, Germany. With close to 10,000 employees across 70+ countries, Döhler is shaping the future of nutrition — and this role places you at the heart of that mission, working with fruit preparations, sugar, chocolate, and baked goods in a world-class technical center laboratory and pilot plant environment.
About Döhler — Bringing Natural Food Ideas to Life
Company Type: Leading global producer of natural ingredients and integrated solutions for the food, beverage, lifestyle, and nutrition industries worldwide
Technology Focus: Innovative plant-based raw material processing technologies that enrich lifestyle drinks, cereals, dairy, and confectionery products for globally recognized brands
Global Scale: Close to 10,000 dedicated employees operating across more than 70 countries — all working toward one goal: enriching the lives of millions through food innovation
Culture: Family-owned company with flat hierarchies, short communication channels, friendly atmosphere, and an empowering, innovation-first team culture
Location: Darmstadt — Germany’s thriving food science and technology innovation hub in the heart of Hessen
Why Döhler Darmstadt — Innovation, Empowerment & Natural Food Science
Global Brand Impact: Your laboratory work at Döhler contributes to products enjoyed by millions of people across 70+ countries — real, measurable, and meaningful food science impact
Technical Center Access: Work in Döhler’s state-of-the-art technical center — including laboratory facilities, pilot plant equipment, and the latest food processing technologies
Diverse Daily Work: No two days are the same — your workday combines laboratory trials, pilot plant scale-up, meetings with developers, and hands-on recipe testing
Career Empowerment: Döhler’s flat hierarchy and innovation culture actively encourage every Laboratory Specialist to take ownership, contribute ideas, and shape the future of natural nutrition
Position Overview
The Laboratory Specialist at Döhler Darmstadt will be a core member of the product development team focusing on fruit preparation for the sugar, chocolate, and baked goods sectors. Your workday will be genuinely diverse — combining hands-on laboratory cooking of fruit preparations, flavour and colour trials, operation and maintenance of laboratory equipment, raw material sourcing and organization, laboratory-scale recipe testing, and pilot plant scale-up support. You will work closely with product developers and colleagues across functions, bringing both technical skill and a positive, innovative mindset to every fruit preparation, flavour trial, and development project you take ownership of.
Why This Laboratory Specialist Role at Döhler Stands Out: You work at one of Germany’s most technologically advanced and globally impactful food innovation companies — where your hands-on laboratory expertise directly contributes to products enjoyed by millions worldwide, your daily work covers a genuinely exciting and diverse range — from fruit preparation cooking and flavour trials to pilot plant scale-up and team collaboration — no two days are alike, Döhler’s family-owned culture means flat hierarchies, short decision paths, and colleagues who genuinely support and value your contribution, excellent benefits including anniversary payments, employee referral bonuses, Christmas events, IT leasing, and shopping and travel discounts make this a highly rewarding career environment, and Darmstadt’s thriving food science community provides exceptional access to Germany’s most innovative food technology ecosystem and professional development network.
Key Responsibilities
Laboratory Trials & Fruit Preparation Development
- Support the development of new food products in the sugar, chocolate, and baked goods sectors with a specific focus on fruit preparation formulations and innovation
- Work hands-on with a diverse range of raw materials to innovate new fruit preparation products — conducting cooking trials, flavour evaluations, and colour assessments in the laboratory
- Conduct laboratory-scale tests on fruit preparation recipes developed by the product development team — ensuring accurate, reproducible results that meet quality and specification requirements
- Take full ownership of all hands-on laboratory activities including cooking of fruit preparations, flavour and colour trials, and maintaining precise experimental records throughout
Equipment Operation & Raw Material Management
- Operate and maintain all laboratory equipment used in fruit preparation and food product development trials, ensuring all instruments are calibrated, clean, and functioning correctly
- Organize and manage the sourcing of raw materials needed for laboratory trials — coordinating procurement, receipt, storage, and inventory of all development ingredients
- Maintain a well-organized, hygienic, and safely operated laboratory environment in full compliance with Döhler’s quality and hygiene standards at all times
- Demonstrate full awareness of quality, hygiene, and manual skills as a specialist in food product development laboratory operations
Pilot Plant Scale-Up & Cross-Team Collaboration
- Assist in scaling up successful laboratory-level fruit preparation processes in Döhler’s pilot plants at the technical center — supporting the transition from bench scale to production scale
- Work closely and collaboratively with product developers and colleagues across functions — participating in team meetings, discussing trial results, and contributing creative ideas to product development projects
- Your workday will be actively diverse — combining time in the laboratory, pilot plant activities, team meetings, and coordinating with suppliers and internal stakeholders
- Work independently and meticulously on assigned tasks while maintaining a positive, innovative, and results-oriented approach that colleagues consistently value and rely upon
Qualifications & Requirements
Training & Educational Background
- Completed vocational training as a confectioner, confectionery technologist, chef, baker, or a comparable food production or culinary training qualification from a recognized institution
- Relevant experience in food product development, laboratory trials, or recipe testing within the food, confectionery, or bakery industries is strongly preferred
- Demonstrated quality awareness, hygiene standards, and manual skills as a specialist in food preparation and laboratory or production environments
Technical Skills & Personal Profile
- Proficiency in common MS Office applications including Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook for laboratory documentation, reporting, and team communication
- Fluent in both German and English — both languages are required for effective daily communication with colleagues, suppliers, and the development team
- Ability to work independently and meticulously on laboratory tasks while collaborating actively and positively with product developers and cross-functional team colleagues
- Valued by colleagues for a positive, innovative, and results-oriented approach that contributes to a team culture of continuous improvement and creative food science
About Döhler — Where Ideas Become Nutrition
Döhler is a leading global producer, marketer, and provider of technology-driven natural ingredients, ingredient systems, and integrated solutions for the global food and beverage industry. Using innovative plant-based raw material processing technology, Döhler enriches an extraordinary range of consumer products — from lifestyle drinks and dairy to cereals, confectionery, and baked goods — for almost every well-known brand in the world. With close to 10,000 dedicated employees across more than 70 countries, every Döhler team member shares one common purpose: to ensure that millions of people around the world enjoy nutritious, natural, and tasteful products created with passion and precision.
At Döhler Darmstadt, the Laboratory Specialist is not just a title — it is an invitation to genuinely shape the future of food. In a company where ideas are actively encouraged, hierarchies are intentionally flat, and every colleague’s contribution matters, this is a workplace where you can truly bring your full professional self — and your best ideas — to life.
Apply Today: Apply online through Döhler’s career portal to the attention of Luisa Rhein. Please note that application documents sent by mail cannot be considered or returned.
Who Should Apply?
- Trained Confectioners & Confectionery Technologists: With hands-on experience in chocolate, sugar, or fruit preparation product development in a laboratory or production setting in Germany
- Bakers & Chefs with Lab Experience: Who bring culinary expertise combined with an interest in food product development, recipe scaling, and laboratory trial methodologies
- Food Product Development Specialists: With relevant laboratory experience in fruit preparations, flavour trials, and pilot plant activities within the German food industry
- Bilingual German-English Food Scientists: Who combine strong food science or culinary backgrounds with fluent German and English and MS Office proficiency
- Innovation-Driven Lab Professionals: Passionate about natural ingredients, food quality, and contributing to global food brands through technical laboratory excellence at Döhler Darmstadt
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