Food Technologist

Mission Foods; Grand Prairie (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Gruma Corporation seeks an experienced R&D professional to apply scientific and engineering principles to develop new food products in collaboration with sales and marketing. You will design prototypes, run testing schedules, and verify performance across company plants.

You will manage customer projects, lead multiple initiatives with cross-functional teams, and train personnel on new products and QA specs.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Food Science or related field; 1 year baking/cereal R&D experience or 3 years for Bachelor’s degree.
• Experience or knowledge in commodities economics and cost evaluation.
• Excellent technical writing and computer skills.
• Ability to plan and execute experimental design to meet objectives.
• Knowledge or experience of baking or cereal processing.
• Ability to lead multiple projects with a cross-functional team; manage customer expectations.

Responsibilities

• Applies scientific and engineering principles to develop new food products.
• Manages customer accounts and projects with sales/marketing to fulfill growth plans.
• Designs new product profiles, formulations, testing schedules, and prototype verification.
• Implements new products following GMP and manufacturing guidelines.
• Trains personnel and develops QA specifications for customers.
• Conducts technical meetings with customers and R&D during development and launch.
• Provides technical training and information on products to customers.
• Coordinates trial productions and sends samples for validation.
• Ensures documentation of trials for scale-up and transfer to manufacturing.
• Designs shelf-life studies and recommends packaging/product adjustments.

Skills

Technical writing

Project management

Cross-functional teamwork

Customer interaction

Experiment design

Computer skills

Education

Master’s degree in Food Science or related field

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science/Chemistry/Biology or related field

Job description

This position applies scientific and engineering principles in research, development, production technology, packaging, processing and utilization of foods to develop new food products.

• Applies scientific and engineering principles in research, development, production technology, packaging, processing and utilization of foods to develop new food products.
• Uses knowledge of management, production lines and manufacturing systems to test and develop new products.
• Manages assigned customer accounts and projects in coordination with sales and marketing representatives to fulfill new product requests and product improvements according to the growth plan.
• Understands and interprets concepts and ideas accurately to design and develop products according to customer requirements and company manufacturing capabilities, including design of new product profiles, formulations, and testing schedules, prototype development, and verification of final prototype performance in all company plants.
• Implements new products at the plant level following good manufacturing practices and company manufacturing guidelines and requirements.
• Trains personnel, develops quality assurance specifications and develops technical information for customers.
• Conducts technical meetings with customers and Research and Development department during product development and following product launch.
• Provides technical assistance and technical training to customers on existing and new products, shares technical information about products, characteristics, handling and utilization.
• Coordinates trial productions with the production plants, runs tests, prepares and sends samples of new products to internal or external customers.
• Ensure appropriate documentation of experimental trials and outcomes to facilitate scale-up and product transfer to manufacturing.
• Designs and conducts shelf-life studies, including product and package performance under various conditions and makes recommendations for appropriate adjustments in product and/or package.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Food Science or related field, plus 1 year of baking or cereal industry research and development experience, or alternatively, Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, or related field, plus 3 years of baking or cereal industry research and development experience. *Any equivalent combination of related education and/or experience may be considered for the above.

• Experience or knowledge in commodities economics and cost evaluation.
• Experience in and a solid record of accomplishment, demonstrated by-products/process/experimental
• Excellent technical writing and computer skills.
• Ability to plan and execute the experimental design to achieve desired research objectives.
• Knowledge or experience of baking or cereal processing.
• Ability to work independently to achieve project goals.
• Project management knowledge and application.
• Capability to lead multiple projects with a cross-functional team,
• Ability to set clear goals, evaluate and prioritize while being accountable.
• Ability to interact directly with customers, the ability to manage customers' expectations and provide solutions.

Please note that this role does not offer visa sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the US.

Gruma Corporation and its affiliates, including but not limited to Azteca Milling, L.P., are committed to a policy of Equal Employment Opportunity and will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, age, physical or mental disability, veteran or military status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, or any other legally recognized protected basis under federal, state, or local law. The information collected by this application is solely for the purposes of determining suitability for employment, verifying your identity, and maintaining employment statistics on applicants. Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act as well as state and local laws. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are normally done which will ensure an equal employment opportunity with-out imposing undue hardship on Gruma. Please inform the company’s personnel representative if you need assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.