Sr. Product Development Scientist - Blue Buffalo Dry - Golden Valley, MN

$91,900 - $138,000/Yr

General Mills - Golden Valley, MN

Full-time - Mid Level

Remote - Golden Valley, MN

Food Manufacturing

About the position

The Senior R&D Scientist will play a pivotal role in the expansion of the Pet segment at General Mills, focusing on the ideation, development, and execution of innovative pet food products. This position requires strong collaboration across various departments, including R&D, Quality, Supply Chain, and Marketing, to ensure successful project delivery while maintaining high standards of product quality and safety. The ideal candidate will possess a blend of technical expertise, problem-solving skills, and a passion for pet food development.

Responsibilities

• Provide product development leadership on innovation, core product renovation, and HMM projects to meet consumer and business needs.
• Develop robust technical plans and collaborate with peers to strengthen approaches and build a pipeline of activities for new or renovated products.
• Forge successful cross-functional partnerships to commercialize projects efficiently and effectively.
• Champion food safety, pet safety, pet parent insights, and product quality from product design through production.
• Manage multiple complex projects from concept through launch, flexing prioritization based on business needs.
• Drive projects forward amidst complexity and demonstrate a sound understanding of pet food product development and formulation.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in food, animal, or meat science, food engineering, or related field with 5+ years of product development/processing and commercialization experience, or a Ph.D. in a related field with 3+ years of experience.
• Demonstrated strong leadership skills with the agility to adapt quickly to changes in project scope.
• Effective communication skills and ability to collaborate in cross-functional and external environments.
• Self-starter with a high bias for action, learning mindset, and passion to challenge assumptions.

Nice-to-haves

• Master's degree in food, animal, or meat science, food engineering, or related field with 5+ years of product development/processing and commercialization experience.
• Experience in pet food development/processing and commercialization in the pet industry or similar experience from an adjacent industry.
• Excellent interpersonal and executional skills, particularly when working with cross-functional and external supply chain partners.

Benefits

• Competitive salary range of $91,900.00 - $138,000.00 annually.
• Comprehensive health benefits.
• Retirement and financial wellbeing programs.
• Time off programs and wellbeing support.
• Potential participation in an annual incentive program.