Development Baker- Product Development

Development Baker

Department | Food Science & Innovation
Reports to | Director of Food Science & Innovation
Location | Crossmaglen, Northern Ireland
Employment type | Permanent, full-time, on-site

Please note: unfortunately, we cannot provide visa sponsorship for this role. Candidates must be eligible to work in Northern Ireland.  
 

About BFree  
 At BFree, we’re all about what can be added to life, note what’s taken away. We are a leader in premium gluten free bakery, focusing on delighting our customers with delicious products that taste great, with quality and safety guaranteed. Our approach has always been to replace ‘less with more’ – more nutritious ingredients, more choice, and more taste. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, our products are sold around the world, and our team is distributed across Ireland, the UK, Europe, Australia, the Unites States, and Canada.  Stone Bakery is our state of the art gluten-free production site, located in Crossmaglen, Co. Armagh.  

Role Purpose 

The Development Baker will play a key role in establishing and operating BFree Foods' new Innovation Centre in Crossmaglen, Northern Ireland. The role will lead the practical development and optimisation of innovative gluten-free bakery products, delivering superior consumer experience, product quality, nutritional performance, and manufacturing excellence. 

Working closely with Food Scientists, Operations, Quality, Procurement, Marketing and external manufacturing partners, the Development Baker will be responsible for translating concepts into commercially successful products through bench-scale development, pilot trials and factory implementation. The role will be hands-on and will serve as the bakery technical expert within the Innovation Centre, championing best practice in gluten-free bakery development and process innovation. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead and support the development of new gluten-free bakery products from concept through to commercial launch.
• Prepare bakery prototypes and conduct bakery trials within the Innovation Centre.
• Collaboratively design, formulate and optimise recipes to achieve quality, nutritional, sensory and cost targets.
• Develop practical application knowledge in gluten-free ingredient systems including starches, hydrocolloids, fibres, proteins, enzymes and fermentation technologies.
• Understand and optimise mixing, fermentation, proofing and baking systems to improve texture, shelf life, nutritional quality and manufacturing robustness.
• Conduct ingredient evaluations and assess emerging technologies that can enhance product functionality and consumer appeal.
• Translate consumer trends, customer requirements and market insights into commercially viable product concepts.
• Support consumer testing activities and utilise feedback to optimise product performance.
• Support process improvement projects and identify opportunities to improve existing product performance.
• Lead bakery scale-up activities and support factory trials across internal and external manufacturing sites.
• Troubleshoot formulation, ingredient and process-related challenges during development and commercialisation.
• Own the day-to-day operation and continuous improvement of the Innovation Centre test bakery, ensuring equipment, methodologies, safety standards and experimental practices support efficient product development.
• Support sensory evaluation programmes and product quality assessments.
• Benchmark products against competitive and adjacent category offerings.
• Identify innovation opportunities within bakery, snacking and health-focused categories.
• Maintain accurate project documentation, formulations, trial reports and technical records.
  
  

Qualifications & Experience

• Min 5 years in commercial bakery operations, artisan baking or bakery product development.
• Experience developing bakery products within a manufacturing environment.
• Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality and bakery manufacturing processes. 
• Experience conducting bakery/factory trials and process optimisation activities. 
• Understanding of food safety, allergen management and quality systems. \
• Experience developing gluten-free bakery products.  
• Formal training in fermentation, sourdough or advanced breadmaking technologies.

Knowledge & Skills 

• Product development and recipe optimisation.
• Advanced bakery process knowledge eg mixing, fermentation, proofing and baking.
• Gluten-free ingredient systems and functionality.
• Ingredient evaluation and bakery troubleshooting.
• Project management and stakeholder engagement.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously within a fast-paced development environment

Competencies 

• Ownership & Accountability
• Consumer Focused Innovation
• Technical Excellence
• Delivery Focus
• Collaboration
• Consumer Focus 
• Problem Solving