Food Scientist II — Product Innovation & Development

S&D Coffee; Little Rock (AR); On-site; USD 68,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

WestRock in Little Rock, AR is seeking a Food Scientist II to develop new products across Coffee, Tea and Extracts from concept to commercialization. You will work independently with multi-disciplinary teams and consult with sales and customers to meet expectations, reporting to the Product Development Manager.

Responsibilities include prototyping, record-keeping (formulas, HACCP, nutritional data), and supporting trade shows, with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering or related field or relevant industry experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of Product Development experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong understanding of food science principles.
• Adept Sensory skills and knowledge of sensory evaluation techniques.
• Experience and knowledge with nutritional data generation and regulatory requirements from USDA and FDA as well as State and local health and food safety code.
• Knowledge of SQF quality systems and related requirements.
• Combination of strong analytical skills and creative thinking.
• Must have excellent PC computer skills and ability to manage data electronically.
• Self-motivated, outgoing, self-starter.
• Must be willing to travel when needed.

Responsibilities

• Ideate and develop new product prototypes and optimization to existing products.
• Improve existing products by optimizing product attributes.
• Develop and maintain accurate records related to the products such as formulas, label development, production process, HACCP, product specification, nutritional data, shelf life, etc.
• Participate on product development teams and cross-functional teams to be the Product Development advocate as applicable.
• Independently completes project requests as assigned on-time.
• Provide application samples and usage recommendations, as needed.
• Tracks project trends and optimizes processes for product development.
• Oversee scale-up from bench to production trials.
• Develop processing parameters with current equipment for better efficiency and yields.
• Troubleshoot trials and provide recommendations for corrective action.
• Provide technical support to customers seeking product information and advice as it pertains to product application/usage levels.
• Travel independently with Salesperson on customer demonstrations; work with R&D on site.
• Demonstrate knowledge of field protocols and procedures that support products and solutions to Westrock customers.
• Provide comprehensive reports on complex data analysis and summaries.
• Serve as Product Development lead on trade show planning teams.
• Provide technical assistance to sales in the trade show booth.
• Evaluate, approve, and analyze risk of new or existing ingredients.
• Evaluate new raw materials and conduct sensory analysis with a cross-functional group.
• Evaluate technical specification documentation for compliance with Westrock requirements.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Skills

Product Development

Sensory evaluation

Analytical skills

Data management

Regulatory knowledge

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science

Job description

WestRock in Little Rock, AR is seeking a Food Scientist II to develop new products across Coffee, Tea and Extracts from concept to commercialization. You will work independently with multi-disciplinary teams and consult with sales and customers to meet expectations, reporting to the Product Development Manager.

Responsibilities include prototyping, record-keeping (formulas, HACCP, nutritional data), and supporting trade shows, with travel as needed.