Sr Sci, R&D - Product Dev

The Kraft Heinz Company•Glenview, IL

3d•$89,800 - $112,200•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Scientist, Away From Home and KHI leads product development across medium- to high-complexity projects for the Away From Home / KHI business, supporting innovation, renovation, and brand maintenance initiatives. The role translates business needs into practical development plans, drives technical execution, and advances projects from formulation through scale-up and commercialization. Working in a dynamic, cross-functional environment, the Sr. Scientist applies technical judgment, project management, and problem-solving skills across product categories and business needs. The role manages multiple priorities, collaborates across functions, and maintains strong execution and documentation discipline. It also serves as an R&D point of contact for manufacturing plants, supporting troubleshooting, process design, and product quality to maintain business continuity. The position is based at the Glenview R&D Center in a normal office environment with open workspaces and a hybrid schedule requiring in-office presence at least three days per week. It involves 30% travel, including visits to internal plants, co-manufacturers, suppliers, and other U.S. business locations, as well as work in laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing environments. The role may require lifting up to 30 pounds and navigating those environments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related field, plus at least 4 years of relevant product development experience in CPG, food and beverage, or a related industry; or a master’s degree plus at least 3 years of relevant experience; or a Ph.D. plus at least 2 years of relevant experience.
Strong knowledge of ingredients, product formulation, processing systems, ingredient interactions, and laboratory test methods.
Proven ability to lead product development and commercialization work across multiple projects and priorities.
Strong communication, project management, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment with changing priorities.
Strong technical judgment and ability to design effective experiments, interpret results, and adjust plans as needed.
Self-motivated, with the ability to deliver results with a high degree of ownership in a complex environment.
Ability to work effectively in a team and collaborate across functions to deliver business objectives.
Flexibility and ability to learn new products, technologies, and processes quickly.
Willingness to travel 30%, including to internal plants, co-manufacturers, suppliers, and other U.S. business locations.
Ability to lift up to 30 pounds and navigate laboratory, storage, pilot plant, and manufacturing environments.
Ability to work in the office at least three days per week under the hybrid work schedule.

Responsibilities

Lead product development across multiple cross-functional projects and product categories for the Away From Home / KHI business, including innovation, renovation, and brand maintenance.
Independently lead product development projects from formulation through scale-up and start-up.
Translate business objectives into development plans and drive execution from concept through commercialization.
Partner with cross-functional teams to advance projects, resolve technical issues, and meet business timelines.
Serve as an R&D point person for manufacturing plants, supporting troubleshooting, process design, and product quality-related issues.
Lead product testing, qualification, and commercialization activities in laboratory, pilot plant, and production environments.
Apply technical judgment to product, ingredient, process, and formulation challenges, developing recommendations and contingency plans based on findings.
Communicate technical findings, recommendations, risks, and implications clearly and promptly to cross-functional stakeholders.
Manage technical timelines, raise issues and risks proactively, and adjust plans as needed.
Manage concurrent priorities and identify tradeoffs, resource constraints, and priority conflicts across initiatives, including planned and unplanned brand maintenance work.
Interface with technical experts, category scientists, and cross-functional partners to understand technologies, applications, and business needs.
Monitor emerging trends and competitive activity in assigned categories.
Assist in scoping early-stage innovation ideas and participate in ideation sessions.
Conduct laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing trials to optimize formulations and processing systems.
Write specifications and maintain documentation supporting consistent, high-quality products.
Demonstrate flexibility and willingness to learn new categories, technologies, and processing areas in support of business needs.