About Valeo Foods
Valeo Foods is a leading international food group dedicated to making every day moments taste better. Our commitment to product quality, innovation, consumer trust, and sustainable growth drives everything we do — from sourcing the best ingredients to producing category‑leading brands across snacking, sweet treats, health & wellness, baking, beverages and more.

With over 30 manufacturing sites across Ireland, the UK, Europe, and Canada and nearly 6,000 employees, Valeo Foods delivers some of Ireland’s most iconic brands including Jacob’s, Batchelor’s, Odlum’s, Erin, Chef , Roma, Kelkin, Fruitfield, Rowse, Kettle, Barratt’s, Fox’s and Shamrock.

What We Offer You

As a Food Science graduate, you will join a structured technical and operational development pathway designed to build deep expertise across the full product lifecycle — from concept development to in‑market support.

You will experience:

A personalized graduate development plan supporting technical and leadership growth
A mix of Manufacturing, R&D, Quality, Technical Administration, and ESG placements
Exposure to senior technical leaders, mentors, and cross‑functional teams
Opportunities to manage meaningful technical, regulatory and sustainability projects
Competitive salary, hybrid working , staff shop discounts, free parking, and full benefits package

Programme Structure

Year 1 – Technical & R&D Focus

Manufacturing NPD (6 months)

Support factory‑based new product development, trials, and product scale‑up
Work closely with Operations, Quality, and Process Technology teams
Assist with recipe development, product optimization and sensory evaluation
Validate NPD against manufacturing capability, cost, quality and food safety requirements

R&D / Product Development (3–6 months)

Contribute to development of new and reformulated products aligned to category strategy
Conduct benchmarking, nutritional analysis, and raw material assessments
Liaise with marketing and consumer insight teams to translate trends into product opportunities

Operations Support (3 months)

Provide technical support to sites on existing product performance, quality issues and process improvements
Participate in problem‑solving, RCA, and continuous improvement projects

Year 2 – Specifications, Regulatory & ESG Focus

Bought‑In Finished Goods (6 months)

Technical Administrator – Existing Products & NPD

Manage technical data for BIFG suppliers across multiple categories
Review supplier documentation, ingredient declarations, allergen data and product safety information
Conduct product benchmarking / conformance to agreed specification
Support onboarding of new suppliers and new products into the Valeo portfolio
Ensure all technical documentation is audit‑ready and compliant with group standards

Specifications Management (3 months)

Create, update and maintain product and packaging specifications
Ensure artwork, ingredients, allergens, and nutrition data are accurate and compliant
Support internal and customer specification approval workflows

Regulatory & Legislation (3 months)

Support interpretation and application of EU and UK food legislation
Assist with label claims validation, nutritional compliance, and regulatory risk assessments
Work cross‑functionally during regulatory changes impacting product labelling or formulation

ESG – Manufacturing, Healthier Products & Packaging (3–6 months)

Participate in sustainability initiatives, including waste reduction, energy optimization and packaging sustainability
Support healthier product reformulation aligned to HFSS, WHO and Valeo nutrition commitments
Contribute to ESG reporting, KPI tracking and cross‑functional project teams

Key Responsibilities throughout the programme

You may be involved in:

Supporting NPD trials, validations and product launches
Ingredient and supplier evaluations
Technical issue investigation and corrective actions
Accuracy of product specs, pack copy, ingredient lists and nutritional data
Customer and audit support activities
Coordination with QA, R&D, Manufacturing, Procurement, Marketing and ESG teams
Continuous improvement and value engineering projects
Contributing to technical risk reviews, HACCP updates and document control
Assisting in the development of packaging and sustainability improvements

What You Will Bring..

Education

Honours degree in Food Science or a related discipline

Skills & Attributes

Strong technical and analytical capability
High attention to detail, particularly with data and documentation
Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across functions
Organized, proactive and able to manage multiple projects
Commercial awareness and problem‑solving mindset
Interest in food manufacturing, product innovation, regulatory compliance and sustainability

Personal Qualities

Results‑driven and eager to learn
Respectful, open and honest in interactions
Adaptable and resilient in a dynamic environment
Supportive team player who contributes to shared success

Rewards & Benefits

Competitive salary
Healthcare discounts
Staff shop discounts
Employee Assistance Programme
Cycle to Work and Tax Saver schemes
Specsavers contribution
Hybrid working options available

Location

Dublin, Leinster (Hybrid)

Department

Quality & Technical

Employment Type

Fixed Term

Minimum Experience

Entry-level

Quality & Technical Graduate

Benefits

Job Description