Food Scientist, Bakery Applications

Wellington Executive Search; Geneva (IL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Wellington Executive Search is seeking an Applications Scientist to serve as a key technical resource, partnering with commercial teams, customers, and industry stakeholders to demonstrate the value of our ingredients across food, nutraceutical, and personal care applications.

You will design, execute, and interpret experiments, develop formulations addressing customer needs, and translate scientific findings into actionable solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in science required; master's preferred.
• 3+ years in customer-facing technical roles
• Strong knowledge of food chemistry and formulation science
• Experience with laboratory instrumentation and data collection

Responsibilities

• Provide technical expertise and application support through meetings, presentations, and troubleshooting.
• Collaborate with sales, customers, and partners to develop application solutions.
• Support trade shows, seminars, visits, and product demonstrations to promote ingredients.
• Develop and optimize formulations to address customer needs and drive commercialization.
• Design testing protocols and analyze results to validate product concepts.
• Generate technical literature and customer-facing materials translating findings.

Skills

Customer communication

Presentation skills

Cross-functional teamwork

Formulation science

Laboratory techniques

Data analysis

ERP/LIMS software

Multitasking

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in science

MS degree desired

Tools

LIMS

ERP systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

The Applications Food Scientist serves as a key customer-facing technical resource, partnering closely with commercial teams, customers, and industry stakeholders to demonstrate the value and functionality of our ingredients across food, nutraceutical, and personal care applications. This role plays a critical part in supporting sales growth, customer engagement, product commercialization, and business development initiatives through technical expertise, application support, and solution-driven problem solving.

The Applications Scientist also designs, executes, and interprets experiments that demonstrate ingredient performance in finished products, develops formulations that address customer needs, and translates scientific findings into practical application solutions. The position actively participates in customer visits, technical presentations, product demonstrations, trade shows, industry events, and technical consultations, helping strengthen customer relationships and showcase our company’s capabilities. Success in this role requires scientific curiosity, strong communication and presentation skills, customer focus, commercial awareness, adaptability, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities:

• Provide technical expertise and application support through customer meetings, presentations, virtual consultations, technical reports, and troubleshooting activities
• Collaborate with commercial teams, customers, scientists, operations, quality, regulatory, and external partners to develop application solutions that support customer success and business growth
• Support trade shows, technical seminars, customer visits, training programs, product demonstrations, and other business development initiatives to promote our ingredients and capabilities
• Develop and optimize formulations utilizing our ingredients to address customer needs, support innovation initiatives, and drive commercialization opportunities
• Assess, refine, and provide recommendations on new product concepts and prototypes as part of an iterative product development and commercialization process
• Design, conduct, and analyze laboratory experiments to evaluate ingredient functionality and performance in food, nutraceutical, and personal care applications
• Independently design testing protocols, experimental methodologies, and validation procedures aligned with project objectives, industry standards, and scientific best practices
• Evaluate finished product performance and characterize ingredient attributes using analytical techniques, laboratory instrumentation, and sensory assessment methodologies
• Generate technical literature, application guides, product documentation, customer-facing materials, summaries, and reports that translate scientific findings into actionable insights
• Effectively manage multiple projects and priorities while ensuring timely completion of assignments and deliverables
• Maintain accurate laboratory records, experimental data, and project documentation while adhering to safety, quality, and regulatory requirements
• Since this job is primarily focused on supporting the sales team and supporting the customer, this job requires traveling to cities and towns across the USA, to be in front of customers, put on technical product presentations, and help the sales team get new business. Overnight travel estimated to be 25% on average, but could be up to 40% on occasion.

Education:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, or other science-based curriculum is required. Masters degree is desired.

Experience:

• 3 years minimum relevant industry experience is required (Internships or co-op assignments may apply to experience)
• Experience supporting customers, providing technical consultation, or partnering with commercial teams in a customer-facing environment is strongly preferred
• Strong knowledge of food chemistry, organic chemistry, ingredient functionality, and formulation science
• Extensive laboratory experience, including operation of laboratory equipment, analytical techniques, data collection, and safe laboratory practices

Required Skills:

• Strong customer-facing communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to effectively communicate technical information to diverse audiences
• Ability to collaborate effectively with customers, commercial teams, suppliers, and cross-functional stakeholders to deliver application solutions and support business objectives
• Demonstrated understanding of ingredient performance within food, nutraceutical, or personal care formulations
• Experience developing formulations, testing protocols, and technical documentation preferred
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and experience utilizing ERP systems, laboratory information management systems (LIMS), and other scientific software tools
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and drive projects to completion

Note: Company headquarters are in Iowa, and although we would like someone to move to Iowa and work from our HQ location, we are open to hiring someone who lives within driving distance (Chicagoland area for example), and can still attend monthly meetings, spend some time in product development, and be a part of the R&D team. So, in essence, this can be a REMOTE or HYBRID type of job.

We offer the successful candidate a generous compensation package (base salary plus bonus), medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401K with company match, generous PTO, and more. Financial relocation assistance will be provided on an as-needed basis. Must be a US Citizen or have a Green Card in order to be eligible for this job. Our client is not offering Visa sponsorship or OPT work.