Gum & Mint Product Scientist — From Lab to Launch

Mars Incorporated; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 79,000 - 109,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mars University

Bonus eligibility

Job summary

Mars Incorporated is seeking a Scientist to develop and execute new gum and mint formulations for brands such as Extra, Airwaves and Hubba Bubba. You will translate consumer insights into scaled products from benchtop prototype through pilot plant and factory scale-up.

You will work with cross-functional partners, manage multiple projects, and ensure product quality, cost, and regulatory compliance across the full development cycle in a fast-paced FMCG environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a scientific field and 3+ years of FMCG product development experience.
• Hands-on food lab, test kitchen, or pilot plant experience.
• Experience bringing products from concept to launch.
• Strong problem-solving mindset and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Design and test gum and mint formulations in lab and pilot plant for sensory or shelf life testing.
• Lead technical delivery of innovation, cost-optimization, and ingredient-continuity projects.
• Partner with manufacturing to test formulations on full-scale production lines.
• Create and maintain raw material, recipe, and finished product specifications.
• Take technical leadership of projects and collaborate across functions.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain, Packaging, Quality, and Procurement for launches.
• Apply root-cause analysis to troubleshoot recipe or processing issues.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry or related

Advanced degree in Food Science, Chemistry or related

Job description

Mars Incorporated is seeking a Scientist to develop and execute new gum and mint formulations for brands such as Extra, Airwaves and Hubba Bubba. You will translate consumer insights into scaled products from benchtop prototype through pilot plant and factory scale-up.

You will work with cross-functional partners, manage multiple projects, and ensure product quality, cost, and regulatory compliance across the full development cycle in a fast-paced FMCG environment.