Senior Scientist, Product Development - Consumer Products
About The Position
The Senior Scientist, Product Development - Consumer Products leads innovation and technical development initiatives that drive growth across McCormick's portfolio of seasonings, spices, and flavor solutions. This role focuses on advancing dry seasoning product innovation and delivering consumer-preferred solutions through scientific rigor, cross-functional collaboration, and technical leadership. The Senior Scientist acts as a subject matter expert in formulation, process design, and ingredient functionality, with condiment expertise valued but not required. This position plays a critical role in shaping McCormick's consumer product pipeline, transferring emerging technologies into scalable solutions, and mentoring R&D talent to strengthen organizational capability.
Requirements
- MS or PhD in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related technical discipline.
- 10+ years of progressive technical experience in product development, with at least 7 years focused on dry seasoning, spice blends, or flavor systems.
- Proven ability to lead complex R&D projects from concept through commercialization.
- Strong understanding of ingredient functionality, flavor interactions, and process impact on product quality.
- Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical audiences.
Nice To Haves
- Experience developing condiments or sauces in addition to dry seasoning systems.
- Track record of innovation through patents, publications, or commercialization of novel technologies.
- Experience mentoring early-career scientists and leading cross-functional technical teams.
Responsibilities
- Lead complex product development programs for dry seasoning platforms, including blends, rubs, coatings, and other flavor delivery systems tailored to consumer product applications.
- Drive innovation and technology integration by identifying and implementing new ingredients, flavor technologies, and processing methods that enhance product performance and consumer appeal.
- Serve as a technical leader and mentor to scientists and technologists, fostering a culture of collaboration, technical excellence, and continuous learning within the Consumer Products R&D team.
- Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Consumer Insights, Operations, and Quality to translate consumer trends and sensory insights into differentiated product solutions.
- Engage directly with key customers and internal stakeholders to align technical direction with brand strategy, cost optimization, and sustainability objectives.
- Support scale-up and commercialization by collaborating with manufacturing and supply chain teams to ensure robust, efficient, and reproducible product performance.
- Advance McCormick's technical capabilities through method development, ingredient research, and knowledge sharing across global R&D networks.
- Represent McCormick's technical expertise externally through supplier partnerships, technical forums, and professional networks to identify emerging technologies and best practices.
- Collaborate with Corporate Science & Technology to evaluate new flavor and ingredient technologies for seasoning and condiment applications.
- Contribute to intellectual property development, technical documentation, and regulatory compliance for new formulations.
- Participate in global category teams and innovation councils to align regional work with enterprise strategy.
Benefits
- Competitive compensation
- Career growth opportunities
- Flexibility and Support for Diverse Life Stages and Choices
- Wellbeing programs including Physical, Mental and Financial wellness
- Tuition assistance
- Comprehensive health plans covering medical, vision, dental, life and disability benefits
- Family-friendly benefits such as paid parental leave, fertility benefits, Employee Assistance Program, and caregiver support
- Retirement and investment programs including 401(k) and profit-sharing plans
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Industry
Food Manufacturing
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
