Job Title: Food Scientist

Department: Office

FLSA: Non-Exempt

General Function

The Food Scientist applies scientific and engineering principles in the research, development, commercialization, and continuous improvement of food products, ingredients, processes, packaging, and production technologies. As a member of the Research and Development team, the Food Scientist is responsible for maintaining and reformulating existing products, developing and launching new products, supporting food safety and regulatory compliance initiatives, and providing technical support to production and quality operations. This role requires strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to independently managing project activities, ensuring high-quality documentation, and driving projects from concept through commercialization to achieve business objectives.

Core Competencies

Critical Thinking
Problem Solving
Accountability & Ownership
Initiative & Proactive Execution
Attention to Detail

Reporting Relations

Accountable and Reports to: Research and Development Manager and Senior Food Scientist

Positions that Report to you: None.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

Maintaining and ensuring food safety. Report any food safety deviations to your supervisor immediately.
Reports to work when scheduled and on time. Adheres to company policies and departmental guidelines.
Drives commercialization of new and reformulated products from concept through launch, including formulation, benchtop sample preparation, materials sourcing, costing, plant trials, food safety and labeling, acceptance testing, development and testing of preservation strategies, and specification development.
Demonstrates ownership of assigned projects and is accountable for delivering project objectives, milestones, and timelines from concept through commercialization.
Independently drives project progression by identifying next steps, managing priorities, and communicating status.
Applies critical thinking and scientific judgment to evaluate data, identify root causes, assess alternatives, and make sound recommendations.
Proactively identifies potential technical, operational, regulatory, or commercialization challenges and develops mitigation strategies.
Leads problem-solving efforts related to formulations, ingredients, processing, packaging, quality, and manufacturing performance.
Ensures all project documentation, formulas, specifications, test results, reports, and production records are complete, accurate, organized, and maintained in accordance with company standards.
Collaborates with cross-functional teams while maintaining responsibility for assigned project deliverables and outcomes.
Identifies opportunities for process improvements that enhance product quality, operational efficiency, food safety, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction.
Assist in maintenance of product labels to ensure accuracy and compliance with food labeling regulations.
Prepare and present technical reports, project status updates, and recommendations to management, utilizing critical thinking and data analysis to support decision-making and drive successful project outcomes.
Performs other job-related duties and special projects as required.
Other duties as assigned by management.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Worker Characteristics:

Ability to multi-task with strong prioritization, organization, and time management skills.
Strong attention to detail, follow-through, and accuracy in all aspects of work.
Strong critical thinking, analytical, and decision-making skills.
Demonstrated problem-solving ability with the capacity to identify root causes and implement effective solutions.
Ability to independently manage projects and drive work forward with minimal supervision.
Proactive and self-motivated with the ability to anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and take appropriate action.
Ability to develop and execute experimental designs that solve technical challenges.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear, concise, and professional technical documentation and reports.
Demonstrated accountability and ownership for project deliverables, decisions, and outcomes.
Commitment to producing high-quality documentation, records, specifications, and technical reports.
Understand the need for and maintain confidentiality.
Willingness to travel (5-10%).

Education and Experience:

Bachelor of Science –Food Science, Meat Science, Culinary Science or related.
Experience in food service and/or food industry, FDA or USDA labeling regulations.
Knowledge in food product design, formulation, process design, product scale-up, plant testing, and commercialization.
Experience with Genesis nutrition software or production management software.

Physical Requirements:

This job is sedentary to light in nature according to the Department of Labor Weight Classifications with the primary functions of the job being sedentary in nature. This is considered a skilled position. Frequent to constant handling, grasping of paper, constant listening, talking, hearing, writing, seeing, reading, dealing with people, influencing others, evaluating information, supervising and use of computer.

Working Conditions:

Duties mostly in test kitchen.
Frequent exposure to manufacturing environments.
Ability to adapt to changes throughout daily operation.

Equipment Used to Perform Job:

Kitchen equipment, copier/scanner, office telephone system, Microsoft Office, camera.

Hy-Vee, Inc.

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