R&D Principal Scientist

PepsiCo • Plano, TX

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Lead seasoning & flavor development for new product innovation for Doritos & Fritos (Billion-dollar brands). Interpret market, industry and consumer insights and translating information to build flavor strategy accordingly. Develop process and toolbox to build flavor strategy supporting future innovation pipeline for portfolio growth. Train other employees on flavor strategy processes and tools. Design product qualification protocols to validate technical solutions and product design against desired consumer outcomes. Own and drive product specification definition to make sure raw materials and product designs can be made safe, legal, fit for purpose. Scale-up product design from bench-scale to full scale delivering consumer liking experiences including traveling to manufacturing plants to scale-up technology solutions and products. Apply deep expertise in seasoning processability modeling, a proprietary tool critical for ensuring production readiness and reducing risk. Represent research & development in cross-functional task forces to enable critical activities to drive a product from idea to launch in market. Seek, evaluate, and test new flavor technologies to enable incremental growth for innovation pipeline with winning consumer experiences. Ability to form technical hypothesis and design technical experiments to demonstrate and validate new technologies. Build close working relationships with key suppliers to identify and land new flavor technologies and solutions for innovation and renovation pipeline. Drive portfolio transformation initiatives leveraging deep knowledge in seasoning & flavor science and consumer behaviors to achieve sodium reduction, artificial removal with winning experiences. Lead training and development for new hires and developers in R&D on flavors & seasonings development.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (US or Foreign Equivalent) in Food Science or Food Engineering and nine (9) years of experience in foods product development, Flavor & seasoning development OR Master's degree (US or Foreign Equivalent) in Food Science or Food Engineering and seven (7) years of experience in foods product development, Flavor & seasoning development.
• Nine (9) years’ experience (or 7 with master’s) with: Deep seed-to-shelf product development experience with strong consumer understanding
• Nine (9) years’ experience (or 7 with master’s) with: Raw material specification, foods finished product specification, food safety, regulatory requirement for product launches
• Nine (9) years’ experience (or 7 with master’s) with: Form technical hypothesis and design technical experiments to demonstrate and validate efficacy of new flavor/seasoning technologies
• Nine (9) years’ experience (or 7 with master’s) with: Knowledge in consumer centric design, leveraging insights to build successful innovation pipeline strategy
• Four (4) years’ experience with: Flavors & seasoning formulation technical knowledge for winning formula
• Four (4) years’ experience with: Flavor & seasoning industry and supplier capability knowledge
• Four (4) years’ experience with: Seasoning manufacturing and scale-up knowledge to functionality

Nice To Haves

• Ability to form technical hypothesis and design technical experiments to demonstrate and validate new technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead seasoning & flavor development for new product innovation for Doritos & Fritos
• Interpret market, industry and consumer insights and translating information to build flavor strategy
• Develop process and toolbox to build flavor strategy supporting future innovation pipeline for portfolio growth
• Train other employees on flavor strategy processes and tools
• Design product qualification protocols to validate technical solutions and product design against desired consumer outcomes
• Own and drive product specification definition to make sure raw materials and product designs can be made safe, legal, fit for purpose
• Scale-up product design from bench-scale to full scale delivering consumer liking experiences including traveling to manufacturing plants to scale-up technology solutions and products
• Apply deep expertise in seasoning processability modeling
• Represent research & development in cross-functional task forces to enable critical activities to drive a product from idea to launch in market
• Seek, evaluate, and test new flavor technologies to enable incremental growth for innovation pipeline with winning consumer experiences
• Build close working relationships with key suppliers to identify and land new flavor technologies and solutions for innovation and renovation pipeline
• Drive portfolio transformation initiatives leveraging deep knowledge in seasoning & flavor science and consumer behaviors to achieve sodium reduction, artificial removal with winning experiences
• Lead training and development for new hires and developers in R&D on flavors & seasonings development

Benefits

• All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.
• PepsiCo is an equal opportunity employer.
• Minorities/Females/Disability/Protected Veteran.
• Our Company will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable laws, including but not limited to, San Francisco Police Code Sections 4901-4919, commonly referred to as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance; and Chapter XVII, Article 9 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, commonly referred to as the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.
• All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.
• PepsiCo is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Female / Minority / Disability / Protected Veteran / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity / Age
• EEO is the Law & EEO is the Law Supplement documents.
• PepsiCo EEO Policy
• Pay Transparency Statement

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal