(JUNIOR) PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT FOOD

NeonWhale is a consulting agency (founded in 2017), specialized in providing services concerning innovation, product development & marketing to food companies. Our mission is to create meaningfull product value for our clients. Our office & NPD lab is situated in Sint-Denijs-Westrem (Ghent), easily accessible by car and public transportation.

More info can be found on

About the job

As part of our team, you’ll contribute directly to New Product Development (NPD) projects for a wide range of food companies:

• You will receive intensive training on the job from the neonwhale staff & also broaden your knowledge on ingredients, different food product types, technology and the market based on literature, fairs, meetings with suppliers, training, etc. In a later phase you are also open to gather knowledge on areas adjacent to product development: marketing & product management, food regulations, quality,...
• You perform labscale prototyping tests (neonwhale lab or external) to create samples & new products.
• You perform analyses on food products: pH, Brix, acidity,...
• You are actively involved in (& later lead) NPD projects and you are responsible for the product specification definition. The product development track is defined from pilot testing until industrial validation (upscaling). You do this at our facilities or external (customer, co-manufacturers, partnering foodlabs,...).
• You can be positioned as R&D or Product Development freelancer at one of our customer's sites for a temporary period. In this case you will perform the tasks specifically required by the customer (in an R&D context).

About you

In order to be successful in this role, we aim for following qualifications:

• Bachelor or Master degree in Bio-engineering or Food-Technology
• You are a starter or have a first experience in food product development
• You have a strong interest in developing food products.
• You are entrepreneurial, hands‑on and able to work independently
• You are open to continuously learn on the job, from your neonwhale colleagues, partners & via projects
• You are a team player
• You have good project management skills
• You are fluent in Dutch and English, knowledge of French is a plus

Our offer

You join a growing, agile company with strong connections in the food industry. We offer:

• A varied and impactful role with real responsibility
• Opportunities to grow alongside the company
• An attractive salary package

We are also open topart‑time or full‑time freelancers. In that case, we agree on a market‑conform rate and set up a clear commercial contract.