Associate Scientist / Meat application

Kerry•Beloit, WI

1d•$70,100 - $122,000•Onsite

About The Position

This role is ideal for someone with a background in Meat Science, Animal Science, or Food Science who enjoys working directly with meat products, processing equipment, and product development activities. You will gain exposure to sausage, turkey, roast beef, and other processed meat applications while partnering closely with cross-functional teams and customers to deliver innovative solutions. You will be part of a collaborative RD&A team focused on developing and applying Food Protection, Taste, and Functional ingredient solutions for the Meat market, supporting both customer innovation and commercial product optimization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Meat Science, Animal Science, Food Science, Food Process Engineering, or a related technical field.
Hands-on experience with meat processing, food processing, formulation, or product development through academic projects, internships, research programs, or industry experience.
Strong interest in meat science, meat processing, and applied product development.
1–5 years of experience in food or meat product development, processing, applications, or manufacturing environments.
Experience working in pilot plant, meat processing, manufacturing, or USDA-regulated environments.
Understanding of ingredient functionality including proteins, collagen, stocks, broths, starches, gums, flavors, and food protection systems.
Foundational knowledge of food chemistry, meat science, microbiology, sensory science, and food processing.
Experience conducting and documenting experiments in a structured, scientific manner.
Mechanical aptitude and comfort operating, troubleshooting, and maintaining pilot plant and processing equipment.
Experience working directly with customers or supporting customer-facing innovation projects.

Responsibilities

Support and execute application and innovation projects from experimental design through trial execution, data analysis, and communication of results across meat and poultry applications.
Conduct hands-on development work in laboratory, pilot plant, and meat processing environments, including product formulation, processing, and evaluation.
Design and perform application trials, interpreting results to translate scientific insights into practical, scalable solutions that meet customer and market needs.
Develop and optimize products including processed meat applications such as sausages, deli meats, turkey, roast beef, and other protein systems.
Provide technical support for customer and commercial projects, including troubleshooting, product optimization, and participation in technical discussions and customer presentations.
Collaborate with Applications, Culinary, Commercial, Marketing, Sensory, Regulatory, and R&D teams to execute projects aligned with business objectives.
Document and communicate technical findings through reports, trial summaries, and presentations for both technical and non-technical audiences.
Participate in sensory programs and product evaluations to support application development and validation.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives involving laboratory methods, pilot plant operations, and application workflows.
Support customer visits, demonstrations, and application trials at Kerry and customer locations.
Maintain a safe, clean, and organized work environment while adhering to quality, food safety, and environmental standards.