Sr. Scientist I

Mondelēz International•Emeryville, CA

About The Position

Working as part of a cross-functional team, you will lead Clif Bar R&D activities required to complete new product development and maintain portfolios and/or productivity projects keeping in mind the goal to deliver the desired consumer experience. This role will primarily support our Zbar brand. How you will contribute You will work independently to plan, lead, and coordinate technical projects in line with Clif R&D, marketing and manufacturing requirements. You will effectively communicate status and risks and plan, lead and coordinate pilot plant and factory trials in accordance with good manufacturing practice and HACCP requirements. In addition, you will plan, lead and coordinate development activities (e.g. product shelf-life testing, designing for quality, consumer test preparation. etc.). To provide direction for product development, you will use digital simulation models to obtain, understand and interpret consumer insights and commercial information. In this role, you will create and maintain accurate consumer-led specifications and be responsible for stakeholder management and influencing decisions based on conclusions made from analysis and interpretation of results. A desire to drive your future and accelerate your career and the following experience and knowledge: Candidate will have the responsibility of leading Zbar innovation and core maintenance projects and potentially supporting other Clif portfolio of brands. This includes supporting productivity, alternate line qualifications, ingredient substitutions, quality improvement, consumer complaint reduction and line extensions for the brand. The candidate will interact with other R&D team members and functions, marketing, operations, and quality leads to develop, coordinate, and commercialize brand projects/programs. What you need to know about this position: This position reports to the Sr. Group Leader, Product Development – Clif Bar R&D. Key stakeholders include: Business brand leads (Marketing) Internal R&D functions: Product Development, Process Development, Packaging, Consumer Science, Nutrition, Regulatory & Ingredient Research partners in R&D. Quality and Food Safety Procurement External Suppliers Internal Manufacturing External Manufacturing Bakery Operations (BD, TIM and Plant Managers) Ideal candidates will be self-motivated with a passion for creativity and translating consumer needs into high-quality value-added food products. Excellent written and oral communication skills; able to effectively communicate to all levels within the organization.

Requirements

Leading R&D projects and influencing cross-functional teams
Handling multiple priorities
Proactively identifying complex technical or business problems and creating and implementing solutions
Applying technical curiosity and understanding to interpret and analyze data
Effectively influencing senior-level and cross-functional stakeholders verbally and in writing, including writing technical report conclusions
Coaching and mentoring others
Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Food Science or related discipline.
Minimum 5 years of product development experience in the food and beverage industry.
Strong technical foundation and technical curiosity.
Ability to develop, plan for, and carry out plant trials.
Able to develop and drive technical projects with proper scientific rigor: conduct appropriate testing, gather, and analyze data, and develop recommendations based on findings.
Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects, prioritize and manage complexity- from bench top to commercialization.
Ability to taste and evaluate products, including those with varied allergen profiles.
Participate in cross functional teams to identify and resolve technical issues.
Excellent written and oral communication skills; able to effectively communicate to all levels within the organization
Ability to travel 25-30% of the time, on average, with both domestic and international travel possible.

Nice To Haves

SAP experience (Preferred)

Responsibilities

Lead Clif Bar R&D activities required to complete new product development and maintain portfolios and/or productivity projects keeping in mind the goal to deliver the desired consumer experience.
Independently plan, lead, and coordinate technical projects in line with Clif R&D, marketing and manufacturing requirements.
Effectively communicate status and risks and plan, lead and coordinate pilot plant and factory trials in accordance with good manufacturing practice and HACCP requirements.
Plan, lead and coordinate development activities (e.g. product shelf-life testing, designing for quality, consumer test preparation. etc.).
Use digital simulation models to obtain, understand and interpret consumer insights and commercial information to provide direction for product development.
Create and maintain accurate consumer-led specifications.
Responsible for stakeholder management and influencing decisions based on conclusions made from analysis and interpretation of results.
Lead Zbar innovation and core maintenance projects and potentially supporting other Clif portfolio of brands.
Support productivity, alternate line qualifications, ingredient substitutions, quality improvement, consumer complaint reduction and line extensions for the brand.
Interact with other R&D team members and functions, marketing, operations, and quality leads to develop, coordinate, and commercialize brand projects/programs.