Process Development Intern (Food Processing)

Location: Nijmegen, Netherlands. EU working rights are required; candidates must have EU citizenship, be studying in the Netherlands, or hold a relevant student work visa. Non-EU students must be enrolled at a Dutch university for the full internship.

Company

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

What you will do

• Develop a strong understanding of processing methods for emulsion and tomato-based products at pilot plant and factory scale.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute pilot plant trials with internal partners and external stakeholders.
• Define and execute analytical and sensory evaluation plans, including methods, sampling, data quality, and interpretation.
• Perform rheological testing and analyze flow behavior relevant to pumping, mixing, and heat treatment.
• Apply regression, curve fitting, and other statistical tools to experimental data and develop models supporting processing challenges and scale-up.
• Prepare regular progress updates and presentations for the internship supervisor and Process Team.

Requirements

• Currently enrolled at a university with at least a 50% study load for the duration of the internship.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s level in chemical engineering, food processing technology, or food-related engineering.
• Knowledge or interest in food industry processing fundamentals, basic fluid dynamics, and transport phenomena.
• Knowledge or interest in rheology principles, common rheological models for foods, and interpretation of rheological data.
• Knowledge or interest in experimental design, data interpretation, and modeling, including regression or curve fitting.
• Knowledge or interest in ingredient interactions, structure–function relationships in formulated products, and scale-up principles.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills.
• Proactive, curious, organized, collaborative, and team-oriented approach.
• EU working rights through EU citizenship, study in the Netherlands, or a relevant student work visa.

Nice to have

• Dutch is not required; other languages are a plus.
• Familiarity with unit operations such as pasteurization, pumping, deaeration, and emulsification.

Culture & Benefits

• Six-month full-time internship starting in January or February 2027.
• One-on-one mentorship from an experienced colleague and support for personal learning goals.
• Opportunity to own projects and participate in an international R&D team.
• Close intern community and young, collaborative work environment, including online collaboration.
• Supportive culture focused on ownership, growth, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Hiring process

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