Natural Preservation Intern (Microbiology)

Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands; onsite internship. EU working rights are required: EU citizenship, studying in the Netherlands, or a relevant student work visa.

Allowance: €625 per month for 40 hours and 5 days per week, plus full reimbursement of travel expenses.

Company

hirify.global is a global food and beverage company producing sauces, condiments, beverages, and other grocery products across more than 40 countries.

What you will do

• Research natural antimicrobials to enable the replacement of chemical preservatives such as benzoates and sorbates in sauces.
• Collect data from research studies, previous internships, literature, and external partners, and communicate with internal and international colleagues.
• Use scientific findings to define, plan, and design microbiological challenge-study experiments.
• Compile and analyze trial results, including setting up experiments and elaborating data using Design of Experiments.
• Evaluate research findings, identify innovative technical solutions, support their application in products, and develop business cases with conclusions and recommendations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s student in microbiology or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred.
• Experience in microbiology and an affinity for working in a microbiology laboratory.
• Analytical skills and the ability to plan and design experiments.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.
• Science-driven, hands-on, highly motivated, outgoing, results-oriented, self-starting, autonomous, and able to communicate effectively.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills.
• Enrollment at a university with at least a 50% study load for the duration of the internship.
• EU working rights are required: EU citizenship, current studies in the Netherlands, or a relevant student work visa.

Nice to have

• Dutch is not required; knowledge of other languages is a plus.

Culture & Benefits

• Six- to seven-month full-time internship starting in January or February 2027.
• Participation in R&D, team, and category meetings with interaction across microbiology, product, process, sensory, and external partner functions.
• Autonomous project ownership with one-on-one mentorship and support for personal learning goals.
• Close intern community and a young, collaborative, and ambitious work environment, including online collaboration.
• Full reimbursement of travel expenses.

Hiring process

• CV selection based on hard requirements, including EU working rights.
• Online Pymetrics assessment and video assessment.
• Online screening interview via Microsoft Teams followed by a hiring manager interview; the process may take four to six weeks.