R&D Specialist

Job Description: R&D Specialist

Status: Full-Time, Permanent
Department: Research & Development
Reports To: R&D Leadership

Position Overview

A growing frozen food manufacturing business is seeking a hands-on R&D Specialist to support production and product development at a high-volume manufacturing facility. This role is designed for a practical, technically capable food professional who thrives in a plant-based environment and enjoys being close to the product and the production floor.

The R&D Specialist will act as a key link between product development and manufacturing, ensuring that recipes and processing methods are executed correctly, efficiently, and consistently at industrial scale. The role requires frequent time on the production floor, working directly with operations teams to troubleshoot issues, optimize processes, and maintain product quality.

In addition to daily production support, the R&D Specialist will contribute to new product development, recipe improvement, and innovation initiatives. This includes refining formulations, supporting customer samples, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to bring products from concept to execution. The position plays an important role in both immediate operational success and longer-term product and process improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Recipe Development and Optimization

• Develop, refine, and optimize batter-based formulations to improve taste, texture, consistency, and nutritional profile
• Test new ingredients and processing techniques to meet quality, cost, and customer requirements
• Conduct product evaluations and incorporate internal feedback to improve existing items

Production Floor Support

• Provide hands-on guidance to production teams to ensure proper execution of recipes and processes
• Troubleshoot formulation, ingredient, and process-related issues in real time
• Perform regular production floor checks to ensure compliance with standard operating procedures

Training and Knowledge Transfer

• Train production personnel on new formulations, processes, and quality expectations
• Support the development of work instructions, SOPs, and training materials
• Promote consistency, best practices, and continuous improvement across shifts and teams

Process Improvement and Innovation

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and cost within current production processes
• Partner with operations, maintenance, and engineering teams to implement scalable improvements
• Stay informed on industry trends, ingredients, and technologies relevant to batter-based food manufacturing
• Support sample preparation, testing, and shipment for customers and internal evaluations

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related field preferred
• Experience in food R&D, product development, technical support, or manufacturing support
• Background in bakery or batter-based products such as waffles, pancakes, or similar products strongly preferred
• Practical manufacturing experience with the ability to troubleshoot in a plant environment
• Solid understanding of ingredients, formulations, food processing, and quality systems
• Strong communication, organization, and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office; familiarity with formulation systems is a plus

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is hands-on, detail-oriented, and action-focused. They are comfortable balancing product quality, production realities, and business needs. This individual enjoys solving problems on the floor, working closely with operations teams, and delivering better products through strong execution, consistency, and continuous improvement.