R&D Food Scientist

Maker's Pride Talent Acquisition Team•Front Royal, VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Maker’s Pride is a leading contract manufacturer in North America with 25 manufacturing facilities across four product platforms (Baking, Bars, Refrigerated & Frozen, and Packaging), including 9 commercial bakeries, making it the largest cookie and cracker contract manufacturer in the United States. The R&D Food Scientist L1 – NBI (New Bakery & Innovation R&D Platform) is a technical position within the greater R&D team. This role requires a self-motivated, technically curious & creative, customer-focused candidate who will work comfortably cross-functionally on the New Bakery & Innovation Business Platform (NBI) with Operations, Sales, Quality, Regulatory, Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, Project Management, and Engineering to drive results within Maker's Pride.

Requirements

B.S. or M.S. in Food Science, Bakery Science, Culinary Science, Agricultural Science or similar is required
Excellent project management, critical thinking, organizational, and leadership skills
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
Experience with nutrition analysis and labeling software (ESHA Genesis, ASD Product Vision, or similar)
Familiarity with Regulatory standards, nutritional labeling, and product safety protocols
A desire to drive your future and accelerate your career while leading, coaching and mentoring others
Sitting at a workstation for extended periods of time
Stand, walk, climb stairs on a frequent basis
Office-based with regular time spent in the R&D lab/ pilot plant and production facilities
Up to 25% travel to suppliers, production sites or to attend industry conferences

Nice To Haves

Basic knowledge of commercial Bakery production equipment and processes is preferred
Internship in Food Science, Quality or R&D and/or 0-2 years of relevant experience preferred
Baking experience preferred

Responsibilities

Works on the new bakery projects in the New Bakery & Innovation R&D platform from concepts, ingredient sourcing, reformulating, cost management and product life cycle maintenance
Balances multiple assignments/tasks concurrently and demonstrates the ability to work independently or to lead a team within R&D
Sets goals, specifications and manages full-scale production plant trials
Works closely in cross-functional teams including Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Food Safety and Finance to design food products that meet nutrition guidelines, claims on pack and can be produced cost effectively across the many MP plants domestically
Enables business decision and gets results through clear cross functional communication
Upon completion of successful trials this R&D Food Scientist will then turnover the production phase to Operations with set specifications, process instructions, appropriate yields and run rates
Understands the business need, designs, implements tests, analyzes data, draws conclusions, documents, communicates results, and commercializes products
Positively and proactively interacts with customers, prospects, R&D management and all colleagues to keep projects on track
Travels and collaborates with plant personnel in production facilities
Assists, Core Bakery R&D, upon availability to drive improvements in production processes to ensure consistency, efficiency, and waste reduction in manufacturing across production lines
Leads New Bakery & Innovation projects ensuring that all products meet quality, cost, safety, and market standards while business decisions are made efficiently
Identifies and evaluates food trends with the Marketing Insights team that supports the business vision and customer strategy within a rolling 2-year horizon
Develops an understanding of what MP food processing lines are capable of manufacturing
Collaborates cross functionally within MP R&D platform teams (Bars, Bakery, Refrigerated & Frozen and Packaging) as needed
Works comfortably with suppliers and manufacturing facilities
Manages some incoming new projects cross functionally
Leads bench, pilot plant and production trials on new projects
Manages new formulas within targeted costs for Private Label which can get produced commercially on the MP manufacturing lines across multiple MP plants to drive revenue growth
Translates market trends and the consumer/business needs into innovative products and packages that can be commercialized in a fast-paced environment
Has knowledge of suppliers, food manufacturers, trends, technological advancements, and ingredient innovations, incorporating them into product development
Influences, manages projects/people, and solves problems effectively and efficiently
Brings an entrepreneurial spirit and growth mindset
Drives improvements in production processes to ensure consistency, efficiency, and waste reduction in manufacturing
Proactively works with Procurement and suppliers to source innovative ingredients that align with product goals and enhance margin
Enables cross functional business decisions
Provides training and support to Operations staff on new recipes and processes
Stays up-to-date on Bakery trends and competitive products through Marketing Insights
Stays up-to-date with industry developments, ingredients, and emerging technologies
Engages with customers and Sales teams to ensure that products meet consumer preferences
Attends industry conferences, trade shows, and meetings with customers while identifying market needs and new business opportunities
Collaborates with the Regulatory team to ensure all product formulations comply with food safety regulations and labeling standards
Works with Legal and Regulatory teams to manage product claims, certifications (e.g., gluten-free, organic) and ingredient transparency
Manages a high-volume workflow in a fast paced, action-oriented environment
Works closely with cross-functional teams including Business Development, Supply Chain, and Packaging to develop products that drive revenue results to meet the company’s goals
Communicates findings, challenges, and solutions effectively with stakeholders at various levels on regular intervals and through structured 1:1s