Onsite Meat Scientist — R&D & Process Scale-Up

MRINetwork; Lafayette (IN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

MRINetwork is seeking an experienced R&D Meat Scientist to lead applied research and product development for a food production client headquartered in Indiana.

You will translate technical concepts into scalable, commercially viable products, lead plant trials, and collaborate across Operations, Engineering, QA, Sales, Marketing, and Regulatory to bring products from concept to commercialization while meeting quality and food-safety standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in Meat Science, Food Science, Animal Science or related; Master/PhD preferred.
• 5+ years hands-on meat/food product development experience.
• Strong understanding of meat functionality and processing systems.
• Experience in USDA-regulated facilities and knowledge of USDA-FSIS, HACCP, and labeling standards.
• Ability to translate results into practical, commercial solutions with strong documentation.

Responsibilities

• Design and lead applied R&D projects focused on quality, yield, shelf-life, and process optimization.
• Develop formulations and specifications to meet customer and regulatory requirements.
• Lead plant trials and scale-up; troubleshoot bind, emulsion, purge, texture, yield, and cook loss.
• Document formulas, specifications, protocols, and process parameters; prepare clear technical reports.
• Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, QA, Sales, Marketing, and Regulatory to translate needs into solutions.
• Monitor industry trends and technologies to identify opportunities.

Skills

Meat science

Product development

Communication

Documentation

DOE / Stats

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's in Meat/ Food/ Animal Science

Master's or PhD preferred

Tools

DOE software

Statistical analysis

Job description

MRINetwork is seeking an experienced R&D Meat Scientist to lead applied research and product development for a food production client headquartered in Indiana.

You will translate technical concepts into scalable, commercially viable products, lead plant trials, and collaborate across Operations, Engineering, QA, Sales, Marketing, and Regulatory to bring products from concept to commercialization while meeting quality and food-safety standards.