Food Scientist - Sauce Commercialization

Hunter the Headhunter; Thornton Township (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Hunter the Headhunter is seeking a Research & Development Scientist to drive the development, commercialization, and optimization of sauces, dressings, condiments, and other liquid or semi-liquid foods in the Greater Chicago Area.

This hands-on role spans bench-top formulation, sensory evaluation, pilot trials, plant scale-up, and production launch, with collaboration across Operations, Quality, and Marketing to ensure flavor, texture, viscosity, stability, and manufacturability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, or related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of food product development/R&D experience.
• Experience with sauces, dressings, condiments, marinades, dips, spreads, emulsions, or similar products.

Responsibilities

• Independently formulate and develop new sauces, dressings, condiments, marinades, dips, spreads, and related products.
• Conduct bench-top experimentation, prototype development, sensory evaluations, and formulation optimization.
• Develop and optimize products for flavor, texture, viscosity, stability, appearance, ingredient functionality, and manufacturability.
• Support projects through full product development lifecycle from formulation to plant trials and production launch.
• Translate bench-top formulations into repeatable manufacturing processes.
• Collaborate with Operations and Quality during plant trials and production runs.
• Collect and analyze experimental data to guide decisions.
• Maintain accurate formulations, lab records, specifications, and documentation.
• Identify opportunities for ingredient optimization and cost reduction.

Skills

Food formulation

Bench-top testing

Sensory evaluation

Process optimization

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Food Science or related field

Tools

Formulation software

Microsoft Office

Job description

Research & Development Scientist - Sauces & Dressings

Location: Greater Chicago Area - South Suburbs

Reports To: Director of R&D/Quality

Position Summary

A growing food manufacturer is seeking an experienced Research & Development Scientist to support the development, commercialization, and optimization of sauces, dressings, condiments, and other liquid or semi-liquid food products.

This is a hands-on product development position with involvement throughout the entire R&D lifecycle—from bench-top formulation and sensory evaluation through pilot trials, plant scale-up, commercialization, and ongoing product optimization.

The ideal candidate will have a strong food science foundation and previous experience developing sauces, salad dressings, condiments, marinades, dips, spreads, emulsions, or similar formulated food products.

Key Responsibilities

• Independently formulate and develop new sauces, dressings, condiments, marinades, dips, spreads, and related products.
• Conduct bench-top experimentation, prototype development, sensory evaluations, and formulation optimization.
• Develop and optimize products with consideration for flavor, texture, viscosity, stability, appearance, ingredient functionality, and manufacturability.
• Support projects throughout the full product development lifecycle, from initial formulation through plant trials, scale-up, commercialization, and production launch.
• Translate bench-top formulations into repeatable, commercially viable manufacturing processes.
• Partner closely with Operations and Quality during plant trials and production runs to troubleshoot formulation and processing challenges.
• Collect and analyze experimental, sensory, and manufacturing data to guide product-development decisions.
• Maintain accurate formulations, laboratory records, specifications, reports, and commercialization documentation.
• Identify opportunities for ingredient optimization, product improvement, process improvement, and cost reduction.
• Support packaging development, food safety, shelf-life, and commercialization initiatives as needed.
• Manage multiple R&D projects simultaneously while meeting established timelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, or a related scientific discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of food product development or R&D experience.
• Previous formulation experience with sauces, dressings, condiments, marinades, dips, spreads, emulsions, or similar food products is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of ingredient functionality and food formulation.
• Demonstrated experience taking products from bench-top development through manufacturing scale-up and commercialization.
• Experience conducting plant trials and troubleshooting products in a food manufacturing environment.
• Strong analytical, sensory, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to effectively collaborate with R&D, Quality, Operations, Marketing, and other cross-functional teams.
• Strong project-management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple development projects.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; experience with formulation or product-development software is a plus.

Preferred Product Development Experience

Candidates with R&D experience involving one or more of the following are especially encouraged to apply:

• Sauces
• Salad Dressings
• Condiments
• Marinades
• Dips
• Spreads
• Emulsions
• Gravies
• Cooking Sauces
• Pourable Sauces
• Refrigerated or Shelf-Stable Formulated Foods