Senior R&D Food Scientist

Maker's Pride Talent Acquisition Team • Front Royal, VA

82d

About The Position

Maker’s Pride is the leading contract manufacturer in North America with 27 manufacturing facilities across four product platforms (Baking, Bars, Refrigerated & Frozen, and Packaging). We operate 9 commercial bakeries, making us the largest cookie and cracker contract manufacturer in the United States. The Senior R&D Scientist with Maker’s Pride is a key technical position within the greater R&D team that requires a self-motivated, technically experienced, customer focused candidate who will work comfortably cross functionally on the New Bakery & Innovation Business Platform (NBI) with Operations, Sales, Quality, Regulatory, Marketing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, Project Management and Engineering to drive results within Maker’s Pride. The Senior R&D Food Scientist enables faster business decisions to be made by providing deeper technical expertise, leadership and execution in the formulation, process development and commercialization of new products, within Regulatory and Food Safety requirements, across multiple Maker’s Pride locations. This candidate requires creativity, innovative thinking, interpersonal effectiveness, effective project management skills, a depth of technical food processing knowledge and the ability to collaborate/mentor/lead with other professionals, within Maker’s Pride and outside with customers, both locally and domestically to achieve common goals.

Requirements

• Highly knowledgeable of commercial bakery production equipment and processes is preferred.
• Proven experience in developing and scaling up bakery products cost effectively in a commercial setting.
• Excellent project management, critical thinking, organizational, leadership skills & communication.
• Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, SAP (or other ERP software), and Nutrition Labeling Software (Genesis/Product Vision).
• Familiarity with regulatory standards, nutritional labeling, and product safety protocols.
• Engagement of the cross-functional teams and driving projects within the platform.
• A desire to drive your future and accelerate your career while leading, coaching and mentoring others.

Nice To Haves

• Baking education and/or work experience required.
• Formula/ product development experience in biscuits (cookies, crackers) preferred.
• Confections (chocolate, caramel) experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manages New Bakery projects independently in the New Bakery & Innovation (NBI) R&D platform from ingredient sourcing, reformulating, cost management and product life cycle maintenance.
• Balances multiple assignments/tasks concurrently and demonstrates the ability to work independently or to lead a team within R&D.
• Sets goals, specifications and manages full-scale production plant trials.
• Works closely in cross-functional teams including Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Food Safety and Finance to design food products that meet nutrition guidelines, claims on pack and can be produced cost effectively across the many Maker’s Pride plants domestically.
• Enables quick business decisions and results through clear communication of technical results.
• Turns over the production phase to Operations with set specifications, process instructions, appropriate yields and run rates.
• Understands the business need, designs, implements tests, analyzes data, draws conclusions, documents, communicates results, and commercializes products.
• Positively and proactively interacts with customers, prospects, R&D management and all colleagues to keep projects on track.
• Travels and collaborates with plant personnel in production facilities on issues with existing processes.
• Assists Core Bakery R&D (CB) to drive improvements in production processes to ensure consistency, efficiency, and waste reduction in manufacturing across production lines.
• Collaborates cross functionally within Maker’s Pride platform teams (Bars, Bakery, Refrigerated & Frozen and Packaging) as needed.
• Drives New Bakery projects under managements supervision ensuring that all products meet quality, cost, safety, and market standards.
• Fosters a collaborative and innovative environment.
• Identifies and evaluates food trends with the Marketing Insights team that supports the business vision and customer strategy within a rolling 2-year horizon.
• Develops a working knowledge of what Maker’s Pride food processing lines are capable of manufacturing.
• Takes ownership of incoming projects from the weekly CFL meetings.
• Conducts bench, pilot plant and production trials on new projects.
• Communicates co-manufacturing developments for key customers through the promotion of our manufacturing services and capabilities.
• Translates market trends and the consumer/business needs into innovative products and packages that can be commercialized in a fast-paced environment.
• Develops knowledge of suppliers, food manufacturers, trends, technological advancements, and ingredient innovations.
• Influences, manages projects, and solves problems effectively and efficiently.
• Proactively works with procurement and suppliers to source innovative ingredients that align with product goals and enhance margin.
• Provides training and support to operations staff on new recipes and processes.
• Conducts testing to ensure product quality, safety, consistency and regulatory compliance.
• Drives Sensory evaluations and consumer testing to ensure products meet desired standards.
• Tests products for shelf life, storage stability, and packaging suitability.
• Stays up-to-date on bakery trends quarterly and competitive products with Marketing Insights.
• Engages with customers and marketing teams to ensure that products meet consumer preferences and brand positioning.
• Attends industry conferences, trade shows, and meetings with customers while identifying market needs and new business opportunities.
• Collaborates with the regulatory team to ensure all product formulations comply with food safety regulations and labeling standards.
• Works with legal and regulatory teams to manage product claims, certifications and ingredient transparency.
• Manages a high-volume workflow in a fast paced, action-oriented environment.
• Communicates findings, challenges, and solutions effectively with stakeholders at various levels.

Benefits

• Equal Opportunity Employer

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Master's degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees