Senior Food Product Developer

The Clorox Company • Pleasanton, CA

5d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Food Product Developer is responsible for the technical execution of assigned new product development initiatives supporting Hidden Valley Ranch. This role translates consumer insights and business objectives into technically feasible, scalable product solutions that deliver superior taste, performance, and manufacturability. Operating primarily within Discovery and early Charter phases (early-stage projects for future launches), the Sr. Food Product Developer owns end-to-end technical development for assigned projects under Associate Director guidance, ensuring strong technical rigor, compliance, and readiness for commercialization. The role requires culinary creativity grounded in food science, disciplined risk management, and the ability to execute in a fast-paced environment. Leads technical execution of assigned new product initiatives and contributes to technical scouting and future growth workstreams under guidance of the Associate Director. This role operates primarily within Discovery and early Charter phases, owning technical development from concept through scale-up readiness under Associate Director guidance, and collaborating extensively with cross‑functional partners and subject‑matter experts to translate early concepts into successful commercialized products. A strong emphasis is placed on creativity, curiosity, and innovation to deliver novel, meaningful consumer experiences that unlock areas of growth for Hidden Valley Ranch. This position will be located in our Pleasanton, CA office, and the individual will be expected to be in the office a minimum of 3 days a week.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science, Master’s degree from an accredited institution in Food Science, Food technology or related field preferred, PhD is a plus.
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in food product development, with demonstrated launch success.
• Proven ability to work in face-paced development cycles
• Experience working in regulated environments (FDA/OTC, preferred)
• Understanding food safety, regulatory/quality systems, and commercialization.
• Experience working with external manufacturers and suppliers.

Nice To Haves

• A focus on Product and Process Development is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical development for both internal and external innovation, coordinating inputs from formulation, process, packaging, and product design to deliver holistic product solutions.
• Connecting consumer insights with technical product innovations resulting in disruptive market entries and new consumer experiences to drive sustainable growth.
• Formulate and test new products, ingredients, and processing techniques to build platforms capable of multi-year growth. Leveraging external manufacturing is a critical aspect of this role.
• Translates consumer insights and business goals into actionable technical product discovery sprints and plans in support of aligned technical targets and validated claims that drive margin, growth, and adhere to all safety and regulatory standards.
• Stay ahead of technology and material trends, analyze consumer insights, and monitor emerging food trends to identify new opportunities for innovation.
• Create and manage technical documentations (briefs, specifications, test plans, timelines, and risk assessments) to ensure product readiness, governance approval, and regulatory compliance.
• Design and execute technical plans to develop delicious product formulations which meet superior taste and stability requirements. Includes development of new test methods with support when necessary.
• Collaborate within R&D, cross-functionally with Marketing, Regulatory, Legal, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to ensure on time project execution and seamless scale-up with the appropriate rigor.
• Work closely with current and potential suppliers to identify and develop innovative solutions to meet objectives presented in projects.
• Apply scientific methods, bench expertise, and process understanding to prototype, iterate, and validate performance in lab and pilot-scale environments. In some cases, end-to-end developments to production scale will be required.
• Monitor trends in ingredients, packaging, and consumer preferences to inform product decisions and identify areas for continuous improvement.
• Accountable for technical execution of assigned projects within defined scope and under Associate Director oversight.
• Development of demonstrated technical expertise in food science with translation into meaningful product attributes.
• Drive the creation of exclusionary strategy and intellectual property on projects, where applicable.
• Partners with SMEs in formulation, package, and process to integrate discipline and rigor.
• Contributes meaningfully to technical storytelling, margin improvement, and post-launch appraisal processes.
• Supports structural margin improvement through ingredient optimization, cost modeling awareness, and scalable formulation design.
• Designs products with awareness of portfolio harmonization and supply chain complexity.
• Supports delivery of growth and margin targets through insight-led, technically feasible new product development.
• Ensures alignment to brand standards for safety, efficacy, sustainability, and delight.
• Delivers high-quality documentation and project execution to support commercialization.
• Provides informal mentorship to junior scientists and may oversee interns or temporary labor.
• Works collaboratively with internal and external partners to ensure robust, scalable solutions.

Benefits

• robust health plans
• a market-leading 401(k) program with a company match
• flexible time off benefits (including half-day summer Fridays depending on location)
• inclusive fertility/adoption benefits

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees