Meat Scientist

MINIAT HOLDINGS LLC • South Holland, IL

15d

About The Position

Leads the technical development, scale-up, and lifecycle support of new products and processes in partnership with corporate sales, customers, and leadership.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Meat Science, Food Science, Food Process Engineering, or another related field
• 3-5 years of food product development experience with a bachelor’s degree
• 2+ years of food product development experience with an advanced degree
• Knowledge of food processing technologies
• Knowledge of microbiology and product shelf life control
• Knowledge of USDA and FDA regulations
• Strong working knowledge of computers, specifically Microsoft Office products
• Travel approximately 10-30% of time
• Spend approximately 10-15% of time in the manufacturing plant
• Ability to stand for long periods (10-15%) of time in plant conditions/cold temperatures (40-50°F)
• Ability to lift 50 lbs.
• Can work independently, skilled at planning, organizing, prioritizing, and executing simultaneous projects and activities
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate with cross-functional teams during all stages of development
• Effectively deal with ambiguity and changes consistent with a fast-paced growing company

Nice To Haves

• Meat manufacturing experience
• Experience working in a USDA regulated facility
• Lean/Six Sigma certification
• Bilingual, English/Spanish preferred
• Strong communication and technical writing skills

Responsibilities

• Develops product prototypes through bench-top formulation and iterative testing.
• Designs new products and improves existing formulations that translate successfully to full-scale production while meeting culinary, financial, nutritional, and customer expectations.
• Researches ingredient and tests technologies to support product development and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Supports pilot and commercial-scale trials by providing technical preparation, on-site execution support, and post-trial evaluation.
• Adapts formulations and processes to meet the technical and operational capabilities of the assigned manufacturing facility.
• Collaborates with Operations to optimize processes and production performance within approved product specifications.
• Applies food safety, quality, and shelf-life principles during development and scale-up to ensure consistent product performance.
• Supports yield improvement and cost-reduction initiatives by analyzing process performance, material usage, and formulation efficiency
• Supports product commercialization activities by providing technical input, formulation expertise, and process knowledge.
• Schedules, supports, and leads product evaluations for internal screenings and customer presentations.
• Communicates with internal stakeholders and customers regarding product development progress as needed.
• Identifies, evaluates, and implements cost-saving opportunities related to formulation and process changes in support of ongoing product optimization.
• Serves as technical owner for assigned products post-commercialization, supporting continuous improvement, issue resolution, and product consistency over the product lifecycle
• Reviews and proofs product labels to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Creates, manages, and maintains product and process specifications in the PLM system.
• Documents and reports project activities related to product development, commercialization, and ongoing product improvements.
• Maintains accurate project records and completes required departmental administrative tasks related to development and commercialization activities.
• Orders ingredients and materials required for bench and plant trials.
• Supports department and company objectives.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Medical
• vision
• dental
• discretionary bonus up to 12% (50% personal performance based & 50% company performance)
• profit sharing (which feeds retirement) at a minimum of 3% annually
• 120 hours PTO in the 1st 12 months

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees