Principal Scientist - Fresh Food Product Development

Colgate•Topeka, KS

24d•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Principal Scientist - Product Development, you will report into Hill's R&D in Topeka, KS, leading the technical product design strategy for our high-growth fresh pet food innovation category. This role offers the unique opportunity to anchor a brand-new category frontier for the US #1 Veterinarian Recommended pet food brand, pioneering next-generation food forms, textures, and delivery systems. The single most important objective of this position is to serve as the primary technical Subject Matter Expert (SME), masterfully bridging food science and process engineering to deliver robust, scalable, and standard-setting fresh food solutions.

Requirements

Master’s degree (MS) in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a closely related scientific field.
8+ years of food industry product development or process engineering experience.
Demonstrated track record of successfully commercializing complex food products from concept through full-scale industrial manufacturing.
Deep technical mastery of both formulation design (food science) and manufacturing technology (process engineering) identifiable from previous project history.

Nice To Haves

Ph.D. in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related scientific field.
Direct technical experience in the human Ready-to-Eat (RTE) food category, fresh-prepared food manufacturing, or chilled/cold-chain food distribution networks.
Strong functional capability in fresh food preservation techniques, moisture management, and microbiological control in high-moisture environments.
Proven competency in guiding, mentoring, or functionally leading technical teams of scientists while driving alignment across cross-functional business priorities.
Advanced capability in core functional areas including Product Design, Technological Innovation, and Technology Fundamentals.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary technical lead and SME to drive the product design strategy for novel food forms and breakthrough offerings within the fresh pet food category.
Direct the design, testing, and validation of production processes to optimize manufacturing lines, improve scale-up success, and ensure commercial viability.
Partner closely with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, and Ingredient Procurement to deliver robust product designs.
Oversee pilot and full-scale plant trials, validating product safety, quality, shelf-life, and palatability performance.
Oversee the commercial formulation documentation, define raw material and finished product specifications, and support intellectual property or patent filings in compliance with regulatory safety standards.