Senior Ingredient Specialist

Nestle Operational Services Worldwide SA•St. Louis, MO

3d•$87,227 - $126,450

About The Position

The Senior Ingredient Specialist works within Nestlé Purina’s Technical Services group, which supports innovative product and process development in pet nutrition. The role qualifies new raw materials and suppliers, provides technical support to existing suppliers, and leads ingredient-related and quality-improvement projects. The specialist works with fast-paced, cross-functional teams to procure new ingredients and vendors in support of Purina’s strategies and provides technical support to factories. The position leads the development and implementation of ingredients for existing and new products, manages product specifications with factories, coordinates raw-material qualifications, and partners with Procurement on ingredient development projects. It also provides technical expertise to multiple business groups, communicates project issues and risks, manages assigned ingredient portfolios using scientific procedures and capability studies, and uses Purina systems to schedule work and tests, analyze data, and produce reports.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in food science, animal science, or a related scientific field.
At least 5 years of experience in supply chain, product or ingredient development, environmental sustainability, food science, or a related environment.
Ability to travel 30–40%.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of grain, soy, plant protein, or fish science.

Responsibilities

Lead development and implementation of new and existing ingredients to support current products and develop new products.
Work with factories to manage product specifications, including nutritional, regulatory, and analytical requirements; issue specifications to manufacturing plants and maintain them as needed.
Coordinate qualifications of new raw materials and serve as ingredient lead for assigned ingredients.
Partner with Procurement to drive ingredient development projects, timelines, and product impact assessments.
Provide technical expertise to R&D, Legal, Regulatory, Consumer Marketing, Purchasing, QA, CDG, HR, Plants, US Management, and other groups in support of business unit objectives.
Keep management and key project team members informed about issues, risks, timing, and contingencies relevant to technical and business success.
Manage and maintain assigned ingredient portfolios using standardized scientific procedures and capability studies to support ingredient performance, specifications, and quality requirements.
Use Purina systems and tools to schedule activities and tests, collect and analyze data, and complete and distribute accurate reports.