Food Scientist

Vantage Specialty Chemicals•Carnegie, PA

1d•$70,000 - $90,000•Onsite

About The Position

Vantage Specialty Chemicals is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Food Scientist to support product design, process development, and application testing within the Vantage Food R&D team. This role is ideal for an early-career food scientist or engineer looking to build hands-on experience in developing food ingredient formulation and scalable manufacturing processes. The Food Scientist will assist in designing and testing food ingredients and release agents that improve food products and enhance food manufacturing processes. This role will also support the development of reproducible production processes, evaluate product stability, and ensure compatibility with customer formulations and manufacturing operations. The position requires collaboration with cross-functional teams, including R&D, Marketing, Quality, Operations, and Sales, as well as engagement with customers and raw material suppliers.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or a related discipline
Minimum of two (2) years of relevant experience in formulation and/or manufacturing of food products or food ingredients
Basic knowledge of ingredient chemistry, formulation techniques, and laboratory practices
Strong organizational and documentation skills
Effective written and verbal communication skills, including presenting to technical audiences
Strong proficiency in MS Office programs, especially MS Excel and PowerPoint
Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines
Willingness to learn and adapt in a fast-paced R&D environment
Authorized to work in the United States
Willingness to travel occasionally to manufacturing sites, partners, or customers
Ability to work in laboratory and manufacturing plant environments for up to six (6) hours per day
Ability to lift up to 50 lb. during course of normal work

Nice To Haves

Experience in formulation, processing, and testing of food products, including sensory evaluation
Experience in industrial scale food operations, especially baked goods
Understanding of stability testing and product evaluation methods
Experience working in cross-functional teams

Responsibilities

Assist in the development, optimization, and testing of Vantage food ingredients and release agents based on project briefs from Marketing and Sales
Design and execute experiments to evaluate ingredient application potential; includes developing application guidelines, preparing technical reports, and providing training and technical guidance to internal and external partners
Support lab-scale batch production and help define manufacturing procedures and specifications based on experimental data
Participate in scaling up formulations and transferring processes to manufacturing operations
Analyze experimental results and contribute to recommendations for process and formulation improvements
Conduct basic performance and stability testing, sensory evaluations, and packaging compatibility assessments
Conduct in-house applications testing of prototypes and/or coordinate testing with third-party service providers
Maintain accurate, organized records of experimental work and ensure timely data entry into internal systems
Coordinate with Marketing and Sales to fulfill customer sample requests and complete customer-specific application testing
Support the development of technical marketing content, including product brochures, presentations, and data summaries
Adhere to all safety, quality, and regulatory standards while contributing to a collaborative team environment