Food Scientist - Sauces/Dressings/Condiments

Kari-Out; Totowa (NJ); On-site; USD 95,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive benefits

Relocation assistance

Job summary

A leading food service company based in Totowa, New Jersey, is seeking a Food Scientist for product development in sauces and condiments. The ideal candidate will have a background in Food Science with at least five years of formula development experience. Responsibilities include developing new products, managing trials, and collaborating with cross-functional teams. The position offers competitive compensation and potential relocation assistance.

Qualifications

• At least five years of experience in product and/or formula development.
• Good understanding of formula costs and food quality/safety procedures.
• Technical knowledge of regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Develop new products from concept to commercialization.
• Conduct plant trials and manage product formulation changes.
• Collaborate with marketing and sales for new product concepts.

Skills

Communication

Collaboration

Problem-solving

Food science knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

HACCP

ISO 17025

Job description

This range is provided by Kari-Out. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$95,000.00/yr - $115,000.00/yr

Founded in 1964, Kari-Out Company prides itself on being built up from the ground floor with an entrepreneurial attitude towards the growing food service industry. After gaining a strong position in our condiment lines, the company has expanded to include virtually all areas of the food service industry. Today, Kari-Out Company employs over 500 people and has locations throughout the country. It is a privately held business that has a unique culture of customer service and entrepreneurship. It is recognized for their broad assortment of quality products and commitment to high quality, customer focused products and service.

The Food Scientist - Sauces, Dressing, Condiments - is critical to the success of the company. The position will report to Executive Member and work closely with Director of Quality/Regulatory and the Director of Manufacturing.

Position Overview

This role is primarily responsible for executing product development including innovation pipeline, renovation on existing products, as well as commercialization through qualification. The Food Scientist will carry out the company vision and mission through their work, as an integral part of the Kari-Out team. Works in both office and manufacturing environments.

Essential Functions

• Works with Sales/Marketing and Innovation Engineering to develop new products beginning at the concept phase through successful commercialization.
• Conduct plant trials and new product start-ups including full-scale production on any product innovation and renovation project. Provide support to plant when challenges arise.
• Conceptualize and develop new products prototypes.
• Maintain recipes, SOPs for batching and ingredients in Kari-Out’s systems. This includes generating Nutrition Facts Panels and ingredient statements.
• Working with procurement in identifying and sourcing ingredients from vendors that follow established marketing guidance and quality assurance standards for use within the product portfolio.
• Liaison with corporate resources on verification of new suppliers and raw materials as well as feasibility of new products under development.
• Coordinate and conduct both internal and external shelf-life studies.
• Initiate and assist in managing all product formulation change management control by issuing approved recipes, communicating changes, and approving BOMs.
• Management of product development schedules that are required to meet project timelines.
• Communicate effectively to all partners within the development process to ensure on time and on budget development.
• Work with finance to develop strawman costs to adhere to guidelines early in the development cycle.
• Participate in co-manufacture or third-party product development when required.
• Lead efforts to consolidate like raw materials while maintaining product integrity and optimizing formulations.
• Responsible to help review formulas and look for cost savings opportunities while maintaining safety and product performance, which could include finding substitute ingredients.
• Find and evaluate new technologies to keep our portfolio current with emerging trends.
• Key member on the NPD implementation team.
• May require some travel to larger customers
• Comfortable and skilled at customer facing communication. Specifically with R&D, Culinary and QA teams.
• Experience at reverse engineering to match existing formulations
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Desired Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, microbiology, or related field with at least five years of experience in product and/or formula development. MS preferred.
• Culinary training is a plus
• Good understanding of formula costs
• Technical knowledge of food quality/safety procedures and programs, regulatory requirements and working knowledge of microbial hazards, HACCP program development, microbiological laboratory procedures, sanitation procedures, plant operations and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP)
• Understanding of process capability and the application of process control/quality control within those processes.
• Familiarity with ISO 17025 Laboratory Standards
• Understanding of Design Development that is associated with SQF and Food Safety Programs

Personal Attributes/Skills

• Building highly effective, collaborative working relationships at all levels in the organization
• Strong ability to communicate effectively (both verbally and in writing)
• Effectively leading change in a business environment
• Strong fit with the Kari-Out’s values and culture
• Ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Requires knowledge in food product design, formulation, ingredient functionality and interaction, process design, product scale-up, plant testing and commercialization.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office software.
• Bias to action, calmly solves problems, follow-throughs, holds self & others accountable, willingness to do what it takes to get the job done

Physical Requirements

• Climbing to various heights via stairs or ladders
• Exposure to manufacturing environments that include: loud noise, excessive heat, cold, wet, and slippery conditions.
• Use of tools, equipment, and machinery
• Exposure to food tasting and smells including all food allergens

Compensation and Location

• The position provides competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and if required, relocation assistance.
• The position is based at the company’s plant operations in Totowa, New Jersey.

Seniority level

• Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Contract

Job function

• Manufacturing, Product Management, and Production
• Industries

We’re not including any referral prompts or extraneous postings to keep this focused on the role.