Sr. Product Development Scientist

McCain Foods USA • Appleton, WI

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

As a Sr. Product Development Scientist in Global Innovation, you will play a key role in developing, optimizing, and scaling innovative products and platforms across McCain’s Potato and Global Snacking categories. You will lead and deliver complex product development projects, applying strong scientific and technical expertise while partnering closely with global and regional stakeholders. This role requires solid experience in ingredient functionality, formulation, processing, and commercialization. You will contribute to shaping innovation pipelines by translating consumer, customer, and technical insights into feasible and viable product solutions. As a senior individual contributor, you will serve as a trusted technical partner, support capability building within R&D, and represent the voice of Product Development in cross-functional forums.

Requirements

• BS or MS degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 5+ years of relevant experience in product development, preferably within food, CPG, or manufacturing environments.
• Proven ability to independently lead and deliver multiple product development projects.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to translate technical information for non-technical audiences.
• Effective collaborator across regions, functions, and cultures.
• Demonstrates learning agility and openness to new tools, methods, and insights.
• Applies commercial understanding to balance consumer desirability, technical feasibility, and business needs.
• Comfortable working with ambiguity and evolving project scope.
• Well-organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Positive, self-motivated, and solution-oriented mindset with a passion for innovation.
• Strong capability in experimental design, data interpretation, and scientific rigor.
• Working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, food safety, and the product development lifecycle.
• Knowledge of food laws related to product labeling and nutritional requirements.
• Demonstrates solid technical expertise in formulation, ingredients, and processing; applies data-driven approaches and DOE to optimize development decisions.
• Anticipates and addresses scale-up considerations in partnership with manufacturing and engineering teams.
• Contributes to continuous improvement in development practices and technical standards.

Responsibilities

• Front-End Innovation & Platform Development Contribute to the identification and development of innovation opportunities grounded in consumer, culinary, and technology insights, in partnership with Sensory UX, Insights, Commercial, and Marketing.
• Support the development and evolution of product platforms that can scale across regions and customers.
• Partner with Advanced Technology and Innovation (ATI) to evaluate and apply existing and emerging technologies.
• Translate insights and concepts into technically sound product designs with clear development and feasibility pathways.
• Demonstrate a working understanding of market trends, emerging technologies, and the competitive landscape to inform product and project decisions.
• Lead technical execution of product development projects from formulation through commercialization.
• Apply strong knowledge of ingredient functionality, formulation principles, and processing to solve development challenges.
• Design and execute development and validation work, including DOE, pilot trials, scale-up activities, and commercialization readiness.
• Partner with internal teams (ATI, Engineering, Quality, Procurement) and external suppliers to deliver products that meet key performance, cost, and quality targets.
• Serve as a technical contributor or subject matter expert in assigned technology or product areas.
• Maintain high standards of project documentation, including technical plans, risk assessments, trial summaries, and feasibility reviews.
• Stay current with advancements in food science and ingredient technology through journals, supplier engagement, and professional networks.
• Serve as the Product Development technical lead on innovation projects, representing R&D and other Technical functions across cross-functional teams.
• Own technical deliverables, timelines, and risk mitigation plans within assigned projects.
• Proactively identify technical risks and work with the team to develop practical mitigation strategies.
• Ensure alignment between technical execution, project objectives, and business priorities.
• Communicate technical findings and recommendations clearly to cross-functional and regional stakeholders.
• Support and mentor junior scientists and team members through knowledge sharing and on-the-job coaching.
• Collaborate with Culinary and customers to co-create and adapt recipes to meet menu needs and “back-of-house” requirements.
• Lead raw material sourcing, evaluation, improvement, and approval activities in partnership with Procurement.
• Support Commercial and Marketing with technical input for customer presentations and innovation discussions.
• Provide technical support to Manufacturing, Q&FS, Engineering, and Technical Operations to resolve product or process issues.
• Share learnings on trends, ingredients, and new product introductions with the broader Product Development team.

Benefits

• Employees are eligible for the following benefits: health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug), retirement savings benefits, and leave support including medical, family and bereavement.
• Well-being programs include vacation and holidays, company-supported volunteering time, and mental health resources.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees