Sr. Scientist - Snacks Innovation - Golden Valley, MN
About The Position
Join General Mills and be a key player in shaping the future of salty snacks! As a Senior Scientist and Team Lead within our Salty Snacks Business, you will lead projects to develop and launch exciting new snack products, leveraging your technical expertise and passion for innovation. This role offers a unique opportunity to combine hands-on experimentation with strategic leadership, influencing the direction of our salty snacks portfolio. We are looking for a candidate with experience in the salty snack industry, preferably with experience at a large CPG or another salty snack company.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Cereal Science, or a related technical field.
- 5+ years of experience in food product development, with a focus on salty snacks.
- Proven ability to lead and motivate a team of technical professionals.
- Strong understanding of snack food processing technologies (e.g., extrusion, frying, baking, seasoning application).
- Demonstrated experience in managing projects from concept to commercialization, including pilot plant and manufacturing trials.
- Excellent problem-solving, experimental design, and data analysis skills.
- Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to effectively convey technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree or PhD in a relevant field.
- Experience with large-scale commercialization of snack products.
- Familiarity with sensory evaluation methodologies and consumer testing.
- Experience using Design of Experiments (DOE) and statistical software packages.
- Prior experience working in a stage-gate product development process.
- Strategically integrate digital technologies and data-driven approaches to elevate team efficiency, decision-making, and overall product development lifecycle.
Responsibilities
- Guide and collaborate with a team of scientists and technicians to develop new and improved salty snack products, from initial concept through successful commercialization.
- Translate consumer insights, market trends, and strategic business goals into technically feasible and innovative product solutions.
- Design, execute, and analyze experiments, pilot plant trials, and manufacturing runs to optimize product formulations and processes.
- Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, and Regulatory, to ensure seamless project execution.
- Utilize data-driven approaches and statistical tools to inform decision-making, optimize product performance, and solve technical challenges.
- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to team members, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement
- Shape future opportunities with that lens to create competitively advantaged solutions
- Ensure all product development activities comply with General Mills' quality standards, food safety regulations, and labeling requirements.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Industry
Food Manufacturing
Number of Employees
5,001-10,000 employees
