Food Technologist

Wayne-Sanderson Farms; Laurel (MS); On-site; USD 52,000 - 76,000; Full time

Job summary

Wayne-Sanderson Farms is seeking a Product Development Technologist to support Food Concept & Development Managers in creating new poultry-derived products and commercializing them while ensuring regulatory compliance. The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related field and at least 1 year of product development experience, preferably in poultry.

You will collaborate with Scheduling, Operations, QA and R&D to move projects from concept through scale-up and maintain

Qualifications

• Minimum one year of experience in food product development; poultry experience preferred.
• Knowledge of statistics and practical laboratory skills.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Participate in product development projects including benchtop prototypes and documentation updates.
• Develop and improve the project summary process and review unusual processes with appropriate personnel.
• Assist in commercialization ensuring compliance with internal guidelines and external regulatory requirements.
• Perform data entry/ modification for commercialization in Optiva and related systems including formula finalization and specification development.
• Coordinate plant scale-up activities with Scheduling, Operations, QA, and R&D project managers.
• Adhere to all PPE requirements and promote a safe, zero-accident environment.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Technical processes knowledge

Project management

Statistics knowledge

Computer literacy

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Customer-centric attitude

Education

Bachelors’ degree in Food Science

Tools

Optiva

Job description

The Product Development Technologist supports and assists the Food Concept & Development Mgr(s) in the development of new product and commercialization to develop first class poultry derived products including ensuring compliance with all regulations and legal requirements.

Job Responsibilities

• Participate in product development projects including development of basic benchtop prototype products, interaction and communication with internal or external customers, and the development and maintenance of organized documentation processes, updating as necessary
• Develop and improve the project summary process, reviewing unusual processes with appropriate personnel
• Assist in the commercialization of products helping to ensure product and processes meet all internal guidelines and external regulatory and legal requirements
• Perform required data entry/ modification required for the commercialization process of key projects in Optiva or other software including formula finalization, procurement of ingredient and packaging regulatory and purchasing documents, specification development, obtaining customer specification sign-off and validation of cooking or reconstitution instructions
• Partner with internal departments (Scheduling, Operations, QA, and R&D project managers to coordinate plant scale up activities (i.e. protocol pre and post meetings, data collection protocol, specification changes, etc.)
• Wear and ensure other wear all required personal protection equipment in areas where mandatory promoting a zero-accident environment
• Perform other duties as assigned

Knowledge, Skills And Abilities

• Knowledge of technical processes with the ability to apply continuous process improvement skills to on-going projects
• Knowledge of project management with ability to assist and contribute to projects from inception, monitoring, follow-up through completion
• Knowledge of practical laboratory skills and basic understanding of statistics
• Strong computer literacy
• Must have good communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to communicate with all levels of the organization and in a timely and professional manner
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize projects, planning skills, and a high attention to detail
• Must possess a strong customer-centric attitude, high energy level and a strong sense of urgency.

Education

• Bachelors’ degree in Food Science or other closely related field of study from an accredited institution

Experience

• Minimum one (1) year related experience in food product development; experience with product development within the poultry industry preferred.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• May be required to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally
• Ability to work extended or unusual shifts if needed (Weekend, holiday or extended) to meet deadline
• Ability to move freely about the facility
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to risk of injury in an office environment. Duties include a typical office setting including extensive computer work, sitting or standing. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Wayne-Sanderson does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, gender (sex), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, citizenship status, a person’s veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law or executive order. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.