Senior Scientist, R&D - Food Service

Campbell's • Camden, NJ

1d • $116,200 - $159,800 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Scientist, R&D develops Campbell Food Service products that support business propositions and incorporate operator and consumer feedback. With minimal supervision, this role leads product development from concept through commercialization, using technical principles, experimentation, and creative problem-solving. The work supports frozen and shelf-stable soups, sauces, entrées and simple meals, dips, and new product platforms, formats, and technologies for emerging operator and channel opportunities.

The role manages technical timelines and activities across multiple projects and partners with cross-functional teams to define milestones, R&D activities, and timing. It develops and refines prototypes, leads pilot-plant and manufacturing trials, adapts formulations and processes to internal and external manufacturing systems, and delivers products against cost, nutrition, quality, food-guardrail, feasibility, and repeatability objectives. The position also supports operator collaboration and business development, conducts shelf-life studies and competitive benchmarking, and provides technical leadership in operator-facing meetings and presentations.

The position is based in a hybrid environment associated with the Camden office and includes work in kitchens, pilot plants, operator locations, supplier and co-manufacturer sites, and manufacturing facilities. Travel to operators, suppliers, co-manufacturers, and production facilities is required 20–30% of the time. The role reports to the Director of R&D, Campbell Food Service.

Requirements

• B.S. in Food Science or a related field.
• At least 5 years of CPG or foodservice product-development experience.
• Available to travel to operators, suppliers, co-manufacturers, and production facilities 20–30% of the time.

Nice To Haves

• M.S. in Food Science or a related field.
• Ability to work effectively in a team and communicate and influence clearly, verbally and in writing, with cross-functional teams, operators, external partners, and R&D management.
• Comfort driving decisions, delegating work to contractors, technologists, or co-ops as appropriate, and providing training, coaching, and feedback.
• Strong organizational, project-management, prioritization, presentation, and documentation skills.
• Ability to deal with ambiguity, adapt to change, persevere on less-defined projects, and creatively solve problems.
• Ability to communicate complex technical information clearly to technical teams, business partners, operators, and other audiences, tailoring detail and message to support understanding and decision-making.
• Passion for culinary arts, food, innovation, and building trusted operator relationships.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage technical timelines and activities for multiple product-development projects, partnering with cross-functional teams to define milestones, R&D activities, and timing.
• Lead projects from concept through commercialization based on product-design criteria and operator and consumer feedback; build and refine prototypes to identify successful formulations.
• Work with Process R&D, Engineering, Packaging, Operations, suppliers, and co-manufacturers to define manufacturing needs and equipment requirements.
• Lead trials in pilot plants and manufacturing facilities, including co-manufacturers, to assess scale-up feasibility, production repeatability, and finished-product specifications.
• Apply scientific knowledge and technical skills to business issues and opportunities, incorporating operator and consumer feedback into prototype development.
• Deliver products against business objectives, including cost, nutrition, quality, and food-guardrail targets.
• Perform analyses, testing, and experiments to develop or improve products and processes.
• Identify and communicate constraints and risks; solve technical problems and provide technical guidance, proposals, and recommendations.
• Adapt formulations and processes to internal and external manufacturing systems while maintaining product quality, feasibility, and repeatability.
• Lead operator collaboration, concept development, menu-gap analysis, and efforts to win new business; provide technical leadership in operator-facing meetings and presentations.
• Partner with Marketing, Sales, Culinary, and Insights to develop concepts for new products and platforms, translating trends and insights into prototypes, line extensions, formats, and technologies.
• Establish and maintain shelf-life studies and lead competitive benchmarking, applying findings to product design, quality improvement, and business-development opportunities.
• Manage and prioritize multiple projects while adapting to changing operator and business needs; identify critical-path activities and risks and communicate implications to business partners and management.
• Collaborate with Purchasing on ingredient supply and costing and with relevant technical, manufacturing, and supply-chain teams on equipment and manufacturing requirements; use internal and external expertise to resolve technical challenges.
• Apply R&D expertise and understanding of scale-up and manufacturing challenges.
• Demonstrate financial and business acumen, including P&Ls, menu engineering, ingredient costing, and food cost.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, short- and long-term disability, AD&D, and life insurance, with coverage options for individuals, families, and domestic partners.
• Matching 401(k) plan, with enrollment available on the first day of employment and immediate vesting.
• Unlimited sick time, paid time off, and holiday pay.
• Free access to the fitness center for employees in WHQ.
• Access to on-site day care operated by Bright Horizons and a company store.
• Campbell’s Cares matches employee donations and/or volunteer activity up to $1,500 annually.
• Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).
• Wellness benefits beginning on the first day of employment.

What This Job Offers

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