Senior R&D Product Developer

HB Specialty Foods • Nampa, ID

10d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Product Developer role will be part of a dynamic and innovative R&D team that will deliver top product quality, value, functionality, and taste. This role involves developing new products and upgrading core products to meet consumer needs and business strategies, creating innovative new products for customer presentation, and interacting effectively with key customers. The position requires defining quality standards, understanding ingredient functionalities, exploring new ingredients and concepts, and suggesting improvements to cost of goods, product design, manufacturing, sustainability, and ROI. The role also includes translating benchtop designs to full-scale production, leading plant trials and product launches, solving complex problems, collaborating with cross-functional teams, providing technical service support to customers, managing customer projects, and maintaining organized records. A practical knowledge of HB Specialty Foods products, operational systems, food processing capabilities, and distribution chains is essential.

Requirements

• Bachelors or advanced degree in Food Science, Food Process Engineering, or related field required.
• Two to five years of product development and commercialization experience.
• Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Detailed analytical abilities.
• Ability to work in cross functional teams.
• Must be able to work in a facility that handles allergens including but not limited to: wheat, soy, egg, milk, and tree nuts.
• Must be able to work in open environments exposed to pungent odors and varying climates.

Responsibilities

• Develop new products and/or upgrade core products to meet consumer needs and business strategies.
• Create innovative new products to be presented to customers and increase presence with potential, new, and existing customers.
• Experience in effective interactions with key customers including preparing, attending, and presenting new product innovations when applicable.
• Define quality standards such as sensory, product performance, food safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Understand fundamental functional characteristics of starch, grain flours, flavors, emulsifiers, and other ingredient forms in food applications.
• Explore and research new ingredients and product concepts so that they can be applied as product improvements, cost reductions, or innovations.
• Leverage collective expertise to suggest improvements to cost of goods, product design and manufacturing, sustainability, and ROI.
• Translate bench top designs to full-scale production products.
• Lead plant trials associated with new product launches.
• Lead product launch process to ensure new products are brought to market smoothly, completely, and in a timely manner.
• Use critical thinking skills to solve complex problems and develop appropriate technical solutions to support production, QA, sales, and customers.
• Collaborate with a cross-functional team comprised of sales, quality, regulatory, production, purchasing and marketing partners.
• Work with sales to provide technical service support to customers.
• Manage and prioritize customer projects with R&D Manager and sales.
• Maintain and organize concise records of all technical and business activities.
• Approach projects with a practical knowledge of HB Specialty Foods products, operational systems, food processing capabilities and impact of distribution chains.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior