Senior Food Scientist

Tyson Foods•Springdale, AR

About The Position

The Senior Food Scientist develops and commercializes new and improved products and processes with guidance from a manager. The role spans product and process development, including creating product specifications and ensuring regulatory labeling and food safety requirements are met. It also involves preparing samples and prototypes, modifying and optimizing products, developing production and labeling specifications, and compiling cost analyses. The scientist applies knowledge of scientific methods, ingredients, formulation, and food processing to develop innovative food products and leads cook validation work supporting commercialization. Cook validations involve planning, conducting, documenting, and communicating studies across products, production lines, and fryer platforms to verify food safety, optimize cooking procedures, and support consistent restaurant quality. The position works with cross-functional teams and ingredient suppliers to advance projects and ensure successful production start-ups. It manages projects of moderate complexity from concept through commercialization, including bench-top development, pilot-plant testing, scale-up at a federally inspected research facility, and full-scale commercialization. The role may supervise hourly technicians, travel to production facilities, and take on special projects. The requisition considers candidates for Senior Food Scientist I or II, with level determined through the interview process.

Requirements

A BS, MS, or PhD in Food Science, Meat Science, Food Engineering, or a related field, or relevant experience in lieu of a degree as specified for the applicable level.
For Senior Food Scientist II: a related degree with at least 8 years of relevant Research and Development experience, or no degree with at least 15 years of relevant experience.
For Senior Food Scientist I: a PhD with at least 2 years of relevant experience, an MS with at least 3 years, a BS with at least 5 years, or no degree with at least 10 years of relevant experience.
Good computer skills and ability to use MS Office and Tyson systems or similar systems.
Good verbal and written communication skills, presentation skills, and ability to communicate effectively with cross-functional business partners.
Strong critical-thinking, analytical, problem-solving, project-management, and numerical skills.
Understanding of product formulation, food processing, the Research and Development process, regulatory labeling, and food safety requirements.
Willingness and ability to travel 25–50% for customer meetings, production-facility visits, testing, commercialization, troubleshooting, and other business needs.
Must reside in the United States.
Must be willing and able to perform the physical requirements of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Must provide a resume in the Workday application or maintain a complete and up-to-date Career Profile in Workday.

Nice To Haves

Strong working knowledge of poultry product development and optimization, including battered and breaded products.
Ability to use approved AI tools responsibly, protect sensitive information, follow company policies, validate AI-generated outputs, and apply professional judgment.

Responsibilities

Develop and commercialize new and improved products and processes, including product specifications and compliance with regulatory labeling and food safety requirements.
Plan, conduct, document, and communicate cook validation studies across products, production lines, and fryer platforms.
Develop samples and prototypes; modify and optimize existing products.
Manage multiple moderate-complexity development and optimization projects from concept through commercialization, including planning and executing experiments, analyzing data, and reporting results.
Conduct bench-top development, pilot-plant testing, scale-up production at a federally inspected research facility, and full-scale commercialization.
Collaborate with marketing, insights, sales, culinary, FSQA, operations, purchasing, process development, and ingredient suppliers to complete projects and support smooth production start-ups.
Develop product production and labeling specifications and process flow charts for engineering.
Analyze data to build process-capable product specifications and present technical information to audiences with different levels of technical understanding.
Compile cost analyses, provide information to product management, and ensure project costing meets financial expectations.
Identify innovation that may qualify as intellectual property and provide a competitive edge.
Work on cross-functional projects that support growth and EBIT strategies.
Travel to production facilities for testing, commercialization, troubleshooting, and other business needs.
Complete special projects as needed.
Develop a personal development plan with the manager and pursue growth within the organization.
May supervise hourly technicians who support a team of scientists.