R&D Specialist - Bakery
Our client is a well-established food manufacturer that is seeking a highly hands‑on R&D Specialist to support the transition of R&D-developed recipes into full-scale production. This role is heavily plant-facing and will work directly on the manufacturing floor to ensure recipes, formulations, and processing techniques are executed accurately, efficiently, and consistently at scale.
The ideal candidate has a strong technical background in bakery products and thrives in a production environment-supporting scale‑ups, troubleshooting processing challenges, and partnering closely with Operations, Quality, and Engineering to ensure successful commercialization.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide on-floor technical support during commercialization and scale-up of R&D recipes from bench/pilot to full production
- Partner with Production and Operations teams to ensure formulations, process parameters, and product specifications are correctly executed
- Troubleshoot formulation and processing issues (e.g., dough consistency, batter behavior, line efficiency, product quality) in real time
- Support optimization of recipes and processes to improve yield, line performance, and product consistency
- Assist with plant trials, first runs, and continuous improvement initiatives related to bakery products
- Ensure accurate documentation of formulations, specifications, and process changes to support production and quality systems
- Collaborate cross-functionally with R&D, Quality, Operations, Engineering, and Supply Chain teams
- Support adherence to food safety, quality, and regulatory standards during scale-up and production runs
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Science, Baking Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a related field.
- Minimum of 3 years of experience in R&D, product development, or technical support within bakery manufacturing
- Strong hands-on experience with bakery formulations and processes (e.g., bread, cakes, doughs, batters, pastries, waffles, pancakes, etc.)
- Proven experience supporting production scale-up and floor-level troubleshooting
- Comfortable working in a plant environment and partnering closely with production teams
- Strong communication skills and ability to translate R&D intent into practical manufacturing execution
- Excellent problem-solving, project management, and communication skills.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
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