Senior Food Technologist (Dry Applications)

Kinder's•Walnut Creek, CA

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Food Technologist provides technical support for all product development activities for dry applications projects from exploratory/concept through commercialization. Emphasis on bench-top formulation and scale up for innovation, migration, and renovation projects, including product cuttings, plant trials, and appropriate documentation. Kinder's is a privately held, founder-led company that is expanding globally and approaching $1 billion in revenue. They are described as a 'pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships' and are looking for adventurous and fearless individuals to join their crew. This role offers the opportunity to see the real impact of your work and contribute to adding flavor to millions of meals and lives.

Requirements

BS Degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or a similar discipline
3-5 years food industry experience
Knowledge of food manufacturing, formulation and ingredient functionality for sauces
Working knowledge of food safety and microbiology
Familiarity with packaging technology to evaluate adequacy of packaging
Working knowledge of food labeling regulations
Familiarity with sensory evaluation procedures
Excellent time management skills, sense of urgency, and desire to complete all assignments on a timely basis
Must be able to travel up to 30% of the time

Nice To Haves

Growth mindset with an excitement to learn (and teach)
Passionate people-lover excited by the opportunity to build strong relationships with teammates and consumers
Low ego with a strong sense of humility
Thrive in a dynamic, lean, and agile environment
Collaborative mindset with an ability to find creative solutions
Self-starter who takes initiative and is willing to speak their mind
Excited to be part of a fast-moving team with the ability to be a leader and a follower where required
Enjoy making decisions and finding ways to say ‘yes’ as often as possible to impactful and important priorities

Responsibilities

Design and execute product development innovation, renovation, cost optimization and quality initiatives with guidance.
Follow-through on product refinements based on PD, Marketing, and Customer feedback.
Leverage vendor capabilities and co-packers to expand formulation possibilities, new ingredients, product technologies and to increase speed to market.
Manage internal cuttings providing guidance on product development in conjunction with the Culinary Team.
Optimize product formulations based on consumer feedback, ingredient opportunities, nutritional guidelines, and cost constraints.
Support new product launches including plant trials and initial production runs at contract manufacturers.
Confirm specifications are met for product.
Confirm specs are met for package, and process with the process engineer.
Coordinate logistics for plant trial unique raw materials and sample delivery/acquisition.
Design and conduct shelf-life stability testing for new products.