Product Developer/Food Scientist

The Original Cakerie•Silverton, OR

36d•Onsite

About The Position

Willamette Valley Pie Company is seeking a Product Developer / Food Scientist for their Silverton, Oregon location. This senior individual contributor role reports to the R&D Manager and is responsible for the entire new product development lifecycle, from concept to commercialization. The role involves formulating and commercializing products both at WVPC and at sister facilities within Dessert Holdings, including Kenny’s Great Pies in Smyrna, Georgia. The ideal candidate is passionate about creating delicious desserts and pastries, combining food science expertise with pastry craft.

Requirements

Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or Culinary Science, or a professional pastry credential with demonstrable commercial formulation experience.
3+ years in product development, R&D, or culinary development within commercial food manufacturing.
Documented scale-up track record, able to describe taking a product from bench to commercial line.
Working knowledge of bakery and dessert systems: doughs, laminated and crumb crusts, fruit fillings, custards and cream systems, emulsions, stabilizer and hydrocolloid selection, and freeze-thaw behavior.
Fluency with FDA labeling, allergen control, nutritional analysis, and clean-label ingredients.
Costing literacy, including building a BOM, modeling ingredient cost changes, and holding margin conversations with Finance.
Comfortable operating inside an active food plant, understanding GMPs, PPE, sanitation windows, and HACCP awareness.
Valid US state-based driver’s license.
Ability to travel up to 25%, including multi-day air travel.
Willingness to work extended or off hours during scale-ups.

Nice To Haves

Bakery, pastry, or frozen dessert experience strongly preferred.
PCQI, HACCP, or SQF certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Own development end-to-end, translating marketing and customer briefs into concepts, benchtop prototypes, pilot batches, plant trials, and commercial launches.
Commercialize products at the plant, leading scale-up trials at WVPC and Dessert Holdings facilities.
Be physically present for first commercial runs, adjusting formula, process, or both to meet benchtop promises.
Formulate private label products for In-Store Bakery, partnering with Sales to meet customer specifications, price points, and equipment capabilities.
Own the bill of materials and product costing, building and costing every formula with Finance before customer presentation, and hitting target margins or presenting exceptions with reformulation options.
Qualify ingredients and suppliers, working with Purchasing and Quality to evaluate new ingredients and vendors, and building second sources for critical single-sourced items.
Own shelf life and food safety validation, including water activity, pH, freeze-thaw, thaw-and-serve performance, and microbial shelf life, in collaboration with QA and outside labs.
Ensure labeling accuracy, including nutritional analysis, ingredient statements, allergen declarations, and packaging proof verification.
Define the Gold Standard with QA, creating written specifications, reference photos, tolerances, and validated prep and bake instructions for customer equipment.
Serve as technical support for Production and Quality, diagnosing and fixing issues during plant runs and documenting solutions to prevent recurrence.
Immediately escalate any food safety, allergen, or labeling risks, with the authority to stop trials, launches, or production lines.