Senior Food Scientist

Senior Food Scientist - Research & Development

A growing food-focused organization is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Senior Food Scientist to join its Research & Development team. This role plays a critical part in driving innovation, supporting business growth, and delivering high-quality food products that meet consumer expectations and customer requirements. The successful candidate will lead product development initiatives from early concept through commercialization while continuously improving existing formulations for performance, quality, and cost efficiency.

This position requires a strong balance of technical expertise, creativity, and collaborative leadership. The individual will work closely with cross‑functional partners across Marketing, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Sales, as well as with external customers and global R&D counterparts, to ensure projects are executed effectively and on schedule.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Technical Leadership

• Lead the development of new food products from ideation through scale-up and commercial launch.
• Enhance existing products by improving taste, texture, nutritional profile, shelf life, manufacturing efficiency, and cost structure.
• Research ingredients, design formulations, and conduct bench-top and pilot-scale trials.
• Apply food science principles to solve formulation, processing, and stability challenges.
• Provide technical support to internal teams including Sales, Quality, and Operations.
• Support manufacturing facilities with troubleshooting, process optimization, and problem resolution.
• Stay current on food regulations, labeling requirements, and ingredient compliance standards.

Project & Stakeholder Management

• Manage multiple R&D projects concurrently, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and timelines.
• Coordinate cross-functional project teams, facilitating clear communication and decision-making.
• Document project progress, test results, and commercialization requirements.

Customer & Consumer Focus

• Partner directly with customers to understand technical needs and translate them into viable product solutions.
• Monitor consumer trends, market insights, and emerging technologies to inform innovation efforts.
• Support customer presentations, samples, and technical discussions as needed.

Global Collaboration

• Collaborate with global R&D peers to share best practices, align development approaches, and support innovation across markets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in food product development within an R&D environment.
• Strong knowledge of food ingredients, formulation principles, processing technologies, and regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated experience commercializing new products, including start-ups and scale-up activities.
• Proven ability to drive innovation, conduct product testing, and support consumer evaluations.
• Experience with cost optimization strategies and process improvement initiatives.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and project management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
• Proficiency with common office software tools.

Preferred Experience

• Background developing protein bars, snack bars, or confectionery products.
• Familiarity with sensory evaluation and consumer testing methodologies.
• Knowledge of functional, nutritional, and performance attributes of food ingredients.
• Experience with formulation or nutrition database software is a plus.
• Exposure to regulatory or compliance-related activities is beneficial.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in both office and food laboratory settings, including environments with exposure to common food allergens.