Science Manager - Analytical Development

Science Manager – Analytical Development

 
Our story goes back more than 150 years, to the southern coast of Scandinavia. From our early success in Sweden and Denmark, we’ve grown into the world’s leading specialist producer of plant-based oils, employing more than 4,000 people across the globe.
We work with our customers to make the products you love even better. The oils we produce go into making your chocolate extra-creamy or putting the crunch into your croissant or providing essential building blocks for infant formulae, medical nutrition, and food supplements making vital products better both nutritionally and functionally. And it’s not just food — we work across many industries to make products that are higher quality, healthier, and better for the planet.

 
Everything we do is about Making Better Happen™.

AAK LOCATION

 
This position is based in Malmö (HQ) or Lund, Sweden

About the role

 
With increasing innovation efforts, AAK is continuously expanding the innovation pipeline to bring new products to the market, which increases the need for analysis in relation to R&D. Hence, we are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Science Manager – Analytical Development to strengthen our R&D capabilities and support AAK’s global innovation strategy.
This is a new role to support AAK’s global innovation efforts, enabling new product and technology development by developing new or improving existing analytical methods – meaning detecting and measuring what we cannot do today, or doing it more accurately and efficiently. The person in this role will be responsible for developing AAK’s analytical capabilities, which means both hands-on scientific work as well as leading a small research team working on projects that serve multiple stakeholders, also outside the R&D team. It will be done by building competence and capacity internally, as well as externally together with research partners.
While overall project priorities are set by the R&D leadership, you will have the autonomy to allocate team resources, determine methodologies, and adapt day-to-day plans to meet project objectives. You will also act as a key advisor to management and decision makers on strategic directions regarding analytical needs and opportunities.
The role combines leadership with deep scientific expertise, requiring advanced competence in hands-on analytical method development.

 
Responsibilities

• Drive, carry out (hands-on) and manage research activities within analytical development, ensuring alignment with project goals, timelines, and R&D priorities.
•  Provide advanced scientific input into project design, methodologies, and problem-solving approaches.
•  Review and interpret research data, delivering clear recommendations to project leaders and stakeholders, as well as identify and implement improvements, new technologies, and opportunities for innovation.
•  Lead, coach, and develop a small team of scientists and researchers, fostering professional growth, innovation, and high performance.
•  Oversee the planning and execution of laboratory work, ensuring scientific rigor, accuracy, and quality.
•  Manage the team’s operational budget, ensuring efficient and effective use of resources.
•  Work closely with other technical development teams within AAK as well as cross-functionally with e.g. operations, quality and commercial development teams, ensuring research outcomes are relevant for AAK.
•  Act as a strategic advisor to the R&D leadership team regarding analytical development needs, opportunities, and directions.
•  Ensure that all activities comply with safety, quality, environmental, and regulatory requirements.

 
About you

•  
  PhD degree in relevant scientific or engineering discipline.
•  Extensive theoretical knowledge and 10+ years of experience in analytical method development, as well as lipid chemistry, lipidomics, biochemistry, organic chemistry and/or other relevant fields.
•  Expertise in analytical methods/technologies such as HPLC, GC, MS, etc. as well as sample handling and preparation, but also the curiosity and bandwidth to go beyond classical lipid analysis methods, dealing with new compounds in novel matrixes.
•  Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
•  Demonstrated capability in delivering projects to specification, on time, and within budget.
•  Skilled in balancing hands-on technical work and engagement with strategic direction.
•  Proven experience in managing scientific and technical teams.
•  Strong leadership and coaching skills, with the ability to motivate and develop a small technical team.
•  Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across functions and cultures.
•  Ability to inspire, motivate, and promote a culture of innovation, both within the team and across the wider organization.

In return AAK offers

•  
  A global expert role that will shape and enable AAK’s analytical development at the forefront of food innovation.
•  The opportunity to, together with dedicated colleagues, enable AAK’s long-term innovation ambitions by better analytics – a crucial area that is needed to support the innovation pipeline within all AAK’s industries.
•  Collaboration with highly skilled and engaged colleagues as well as customers, suppliers, and regulators in an internation setting.
•  A value-driven company culture where sustainability, innovation, and continuous improvement are central.
•  A dynamic, flexible, and supportive environment that invests in your professional development.

 

Contact and information

Apply through our career portal, but for more information about the position, please contact Conor Kelly, Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist via email: conor.kelly@aak.com

About AAK

Everything AAK does is about Making Better Happen™. We specialize in plant-based oils that are the value-adding ingredients in many of the products people love to consume. We make these products better tasting, healthier, and more sustainable. At the heart of AAK’s offer is Customer Co-Development — combining our desire to understand what better means for each customer, with the unique flexibility of our production assets and our deep knowledge of many products and industries, including Chocolate and confectionery, Bakery, Dairy, Plant-based Foods, Special Nutrition, Foodservice and Personal Care. Our 4,000 employees support our close collaboration with customers through 25 regional sales offices, 15 dedicated Customer Innovation Centers, and more than 20 production facilities. Listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and with our headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, AAK has been Making Better Happen™ for more than 150 years. AAK prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, religion, veteran status, and any other class protected under applicable law in any aspect of employment.

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Är du nyfiken och gillar du att förbättra och utveckla? Vill du arbete i en internationell organisation som tar ansvar för en hållbar framtid? Då är AAK rätt väg för dig då du kan bli en del av vårt globala team där du utvecklar både dig själv och våra kunders verksamheter.