Senior Food Scientist

Tyson Foods•Springdale, AR

About The Position

The Senior Food Scientist develops and commercializes new and improved food products and processes under the guidance of a manager. The role spans product and process development, including creating product specifications, ensuring regulatory labeling and food safety requirements are met, preparing samples and prototypes, modifying and optimizing products, and compiling cost analyses. The scientist applies knowledge of scientific methods, ingredients, formulation, and food processing to support innovative product development. The position also leads and executes cook validation studies to support commercialization, food safety, optimized cooking procedures, and consistent restaurant quality. Studies may span products, production lines, and fryer platforms and include planning, conducting, documenting, and communicating results. The role works across functions and with ingredient suppliers to advance projects from concept through commercialization. Development activities include bench-top work, pilot plant testing, scale-up at a federally inspected research facility, and commercialization at full-scale production facilities. The scientist works with process development on process flow charts for engineering, helps identify protectable innovation, presents technical information to varied audiences, and travels to production facilities and customer meetings as needed. The successful candidate may supervise hourly technicians and is expected to develop a personal development plan with their manager. Applicants must reside in the United States. Sponsorship is unavailable. Relocation assistance is eligible. The position is on first shift, with 25–50% travel. Candidates must be willing and able to perform the physical requirements of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation. Applicants should upload a resume or ensure their Workday Career Profile is complete and up to date.

Requirements

Degree in Food Science, Meat Science, Food Engineering, or a related field, or the specified equivalent relevant experience without a degree.
For Senior Food Scientist II: a related degree and at least 8 years of relevant research and development experience, or at least 15 years of relevant experience without a degree.
For Senior Food Scientist I: PhD and at least 2 years of relevant experience; MS and at least 3 years; BS and at least 5 years; or at least 10 years of relevant experience without a degree.
Good computer skills and ability to use MS Office products and Tyson systems or similar systems.
Good verbal and written communication skills and presentation skills; 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.
Must reside in the United States.
Must be willing and able to perform the physical requirements of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Applicants should upload a resume in Workday or ensure their Workday Career Profile is complete and up to date.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Develop and commercialize new and improved products and processes from concept through commercialization.
Plan, execute, document, analyze, and communicate cook validation studies across products, production lines, and fryer platforms.
Develop samples and prototypes; modify and optimize existing products.
Develop product specifications, production labeling, and process flow charts for engineering.
Ensure regulatory labeling and food safety requirements are met.
Conduct bench-top development, pilot plant testing, scale-up production at a federally inspected research facility, and full-scale commercialization.
Work on multiple moderately complex development and optimization projects, planning and executing experiments, analyzing data, and reporting results.
Collaborate with and influence marketing, insights, sales, culinary, FSQA, operations, purchasing, process development, and ingredient suppliers.
Support smooth start-up of new product production processes and travel to production facilities for testing, commercialization, and troubleshooting.
Analyze data to create process-capable product specifications and present technical information to audiences with varying levels of technical knowledge.
Compile cost analyses and provide them to product management; ensure project costing meets financial expectations.
Help identify innovation that can be treated as intellectual property and provide a competitive advantage.
Contribute to cross-functional projects supporting organizational growth and EBIT strategies.
Complete special projects as needed.
Develop a personal development plan with the manager and grow within the organization.
May supervise hourly technicians who support a team of scientists.