Food Scientist

House-Autry Mills•Four Oaks, NC

3d•Onsite

About The Position

House-Autry is a dynamic and growing food company that has flourished for over 200 years. Our expansion into new markets and new product lines is providing exciting new employment opportunities that offer rewarding work and comprehensive training, along with competitive pay and benefits. Our growing business provides plenty of opportunities for growth and advancement, allowing you to create a fulfilling career as a part of our team. Join the House-Autry family and be part of our exciting future! We are looking for a Food Chemist/Food Scientist who is responsible for the research, development, formulation, and improvement of food products while ensuring quality, safety, regulatory compliance, and scalability. This role applies principles of chemistry, biology, and food science to develop innovative, safe, and high-quality products that meet business goals, regulatory requirements, and consumer expectations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in food science, Food Chemistry, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or a related scientific field required.
2–5+ years of experience in food product development, food chemistry, or food manufacturing (entry-level candidates considered with strong internships or co-op experience)
Working knowledge of food chemistry, ingredient functionality, and food processing
Familiarity with FDA regulations, food labeling, and basic food safety principles
Strong problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills
Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
Assessment techniques of examining, questioning, evaluating and reporting food performance and flavor issues.
Additional skills required for project management, such as planning, organizing, communicating, directing and problem solving
Must be able to work evenings and weekends when, and if, workload dictates the need.
Some travel may be required to assist with customer concerns, meet suppliers, participate in research studies (focus groups, sensory panels) or attend trade shows.

Nice To Haves

Experience with sensory evaluation, shelf-life testing, and statistical analysis
Hands-on experience with specific product categories (e.g., beverages, baked goods, dairy, snacks, sauces) is a plus.
Knowledge and understanding of quality standards and or culinary techniques and training.

Responsibilities

Project proposals meeting Quality and Production policies and programs
Conformity of the raw materials and finished goods to established quality and specification standards.
Ensure proper testing procedures are in place and are being properly utilized.
Compliance with production specifications for all developed products.
Develop new products for retail, food service, and industrial applications
Identify the proper ingredients and proportion thereof for new formulas based on knowledge of the properties, interactions and reactions of various ingredients.
Distinguish the processing procedures and times to result in proper texture and usage of new products.
Develop new formulas to match taste and performance while minimizing cost
Provide product samples to sales team and end customers.
Manage feedback and process requested changes.
Work with customers to identify procedures used for preparing food products during new product development and aid customer food preparation processes.
Maintain current and create new product information data sheets
Use FDA and other rules and regulations regarding food products to maintain compliance on product nutritional information and labeling guidelines
Manage production formulas and control access to formulas for updates and adjustments.
Provide product information to production, QA and warehouse to ensure products meet quality requirements.
Provide financial department formulation for costing.
Test competitor finished products and new ingredients.
Perform physical and chemical analyses of competitor products.
Perform tolerance testing to determine weakness and strengths of HA products compared to competitors.
Perform physical and chemical analyses on new ingredients for new supplier approval and cost management opportunities.
Assist in resolution of internal non-conforming products and customer product complaints.
Assist Sales Team with sample submissions for new customer accounts and grow existing accounts.
Other duties as assigned.