Food Scientist II - R&D

Westrock Coffee Company•Conway, AR

About The Position

Westrock Coffee is looking for a Food Scientist II to join the Extracts & Multiserve Bottle R&D Team in Conway, Arkansas. At Westrock, Food Scientists lead product development projects from proof of concept through commercial validation and lifecycle management. This role will have specific daily focus on Coffee Extraction and Multiserve Bottle products across Retail and Foodservice, but is expected to have or gain broad knowledge on all, including but not limited to: Ready to drink beverages including retort and cold-chain, coffee and tea extracts, roasted coffee, and iced tea blends. This work also requires interaction with multi-disciplinary groups to innovate, optimize and customize food ingredients, and consults directly with sales and customers to meet expectations.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Food Science or related field, Master Degree in Food Science or similar required
At least 3-5 years in a coffee-specific development role, to include but not be limited to green blends, roasting, extraction methods and technologies, concentration technologies, and application of extracts and flavors in different beverage categories.
At least 3-5 years performing product development and technical services in the food industry, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Knowledge of thermal processing, including HTST, ESL, Aseptic, and/or heat penetration studies and temperature distributions.
Hands on experience running laboratory and pilot plant equipment.
Strong understanding of food science principles, analytical skills, and problem solving, producing high quality lab work that is reliable and accurate
Knowledge of ingredient functionality
Adept sensory skills and knowledge of sensory evaluation techniques
Experience with nutritional data generation and regulatory requirements
Knowledge of Food Safety Principles and systems including HACCP and Low Acid Canned Foods
Combination of strong analytical skills and creative thinking
Strong record-keeping skills, general project management, and attention to detail
A high degree of discretion is required.
Self-motivated, self-starter

Nice To Haves

CQI/SCA Q-Grader highly preferred

Responsibilities

Formula Development from concept to commercialization
Troubleshooting and commercialization of customer-provided formulas
Beginning innovation and research for current and future product categories
Technical support for operations, customer requests
Direct customer interaction including communication, visits, and demos
Senior: Primary tech
Technical mentor for less experienced Team Members
Applies scientific principles in research, development, production technology, packaging, processing, and ingredient functionality to develop and commercialize new food products, and to improve existing products.
Understands and interprets concepts and ideas accurately according to customer requirements and Company manufacturing capabilities, including design of new/improved formulations, testing schedules, prototype development, and scale up to commercialization
Evaluates multiple technical options and provides best option solutions to the business.
Coordinates trial productions with operations, runs testing protocols, prepares and sends samples to internal and external customers for evaluation.
Designs and conducts shelf-life studies, including product and package performance under various conditions and makes recommendations for appropriate adjustment in product and/or package development.
Develops and maintains accurate records related to the products such as formulas, production process, HACCP, product specification, nutritional data, shelf life, etc
Provide technical support to customers seeking product information and advice as it pertains to product application/usage levels
Provide technical support to Operations, Quality, Global Sourcing, and customers on new and existing products, new materials, or new applications of products
Develops and conducts basic sensory testing for discrimination or descriptive analysis
Travel up to 25% when required for customers, trials, and tradeshows, and possibly international