Scientist - Pet Nutrition - Harvard, IL

Archer Daniels Midland • Harvard, IL

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Individual will be responsible for formulation and processing of pet food, treats and supplement solutions highlighting the company portfolio. Position involves a high level of collaboration with customers and ADM colleagues. A working aptitude in pet food, treat & supplement manufacturing processes is also a requirement for this position. The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate experience in formulation methods and ingredient functionality along with an ability to create quality products for customer evaluation. The successful candidate will have strong presentation skills, be self-motivated, agile and team oriented. Prior experience with product development in the pet industry is required. Knowledge of pet food & supplement regulations, labeling, and processing is strongly preferred. This position will be based in ADM’s Harvard, IL location. Individual will be required to travel to other ADM North American sites for project and scale-up work. The work environment is a combination of formulation, customer interactions, laboratory benchtop sampling, and supporting full scale production, while collaborating on continuous improvement projects for the business and the CD&D department. Our team of product developers are responsible and accountable for bringing new products to life from ideation to commercialization. This includes innovative R&D, adapting customer preferences, optimizing formulation and processing, and managing products through the new product development process.

Requirements

• Sense of urgency, acceptance of change, communication, technical knowledge, quality minded, collaboration, flexibility, teamwork, problem solving, dependability, curiosity, integrity and a commitment to safety.
• Bachelor’s of Science with 3 years experience in a pet industry role or Masters Degree with pet food research experience.
• Formulation Experience- Aptitude on formulation software such as Concept 5 or Brill.
• Understanding of pet food dietary requirements.
• Processing Knowledge- Understanding of pet food manufacturing processes, with a preference in bakery and extrusion technologies.
• Scientific Skills – The individual is comfortable with common scientific terminology, basic chemistry terms and concepts, basic vertebrate physiology, along with intermediate Chemistry and Biology knowledge including chemical elements, compounds, reactions and terminology.
• Food Science Skills – The individual is comfortable with basic food science principles, including knowledge of food chemistry, lipids, carbohydrates, proteins and the principles of food processing.
• Project Management Skills – The individual is capable of planning, organizing and managing the efforts to accomplish a successful project; a project is a one-time activity that produces a specific output.
• Industry Knowledge – The individual has basic knowledge of target industry including key companies, technologies, cost and geographical factors. Appropriate understanding of consumer drivers.
• Bench Development Aptitude – Understanding of food manufacturing equipment operating procedures and desire to perform hands on development work with minimal supervision.
• Analytical Skills – The individual is comfortable with basic instrument calibration, usage and reporting skills.
• Problem Solving Skills – The individual is capable of problem/root cause identification, alternative solution consideration and ultimate recommendation and selection of workable solution.
• Mathematical Skills – The individual is comfortable with basic calculations, ratio scaling, fraction proportioning, percentage calculations, along with graphing techniques, predictive modeling, etc.
• Computer Skills – The individual is comfortable with computer usage, internet access, Microsoft WORD, EXCEL and Email ( or similar program) usage, along with ability to create, edit, manipulate WORD and EXCEL files as well as basic presentation development using PowerPoint or other.
• Teamwork Skills – The individual has ability to work closely within a team with productive results. Able to share workload with others. Able to communicate in a friendly yet business appropriate manner.
• Written Skills – The individual is able to prepare basic business and Email correspondence with appropriate word selection and usage.
• Verbal Communication Skills – The individual is capable of clear verbal communication to supervisors, managers, team members and business contacts. Able to express ideas and needs clearly.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of pet food & supplement regulations, labeling, and processing is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for developing formulas for pet treats and pet supplements while fully utilizing ADM portfolio
• Accountable for scale-up of product prototypes through commercialization phase utilizing benchtop laboratory equipment and full-scale production trials and first production runs
• Accountable for independent design and performance of experiments including data analysis
• Accountable for new product development launches including coordinating with all relevant interdepartmental and cross-functional stakeholders, and for following established best practices of new product development
• Responsible for leading complex projects involving coordination within the ADM function matrix
• Collaborating with cross functional groups to ensure successful product launch and optimize internal processes, and support continuous improvement projects for the business and the CD&D department
• Advise from a technical perspective on ingredient and formulation requirements, product performance, palatability, stability, and product analysis
• Maintain up to date product specifications and processing instructions
• Training and guidance of laboratory technicians
• Responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with customers
• Responsible for supporting ADM growth strategy initiatives
• Be self-motivated to challenge and drive R&D efforts by staying up to date on industry trends and proactively innovating pet solutions

Benefits

• In addition to competitive pay, we support your diverse needs with a comprehensive total rewards package to enhance your well-being, including:
• Physical wellness – medical/Rx, dental, vision and on-site wellness center access or gym reimbursement (as applicable).
• Financial wellness – flexible spending accounts, health savings account, 401(k) with matching contributions and cash balance plan, discounted employee stock purchasing program, life insurance, disability, workers’ compensation, legal assistance, identity theft protection.
• Mental and social wellness – Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Colleague Giving Programs (ADM Cares).
• Additional benefits include:
• Paid time off including paid holidays.
• Adoption assistance and paid maternity and parental leave.
• Tuition assistance.
• Company-sponsored training and development resources, such as LinkedIn Learning, language training and mentoring programs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees