Pet Food R&D & Product Development Scientist

Farmers Union Industries; Mitchell (SD); On-site; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401K Match

Paid holidays

Job summary

Farmers Union Industries, LLC, through Performance Pet Products in Mitchell, SD, is hiring a Research & Development / Product Development Scientist. You will lead formulation and development of wet pet foods, support customer requests, and work with cross-functional teams to bring products to market.

The role offers a competitive salary and a benefits package including health, dental, vision, PTO, paid holidays, a strong 401K match, and opportunities to grow within a growing company.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in food, animal, or meat science, nutrition, chemistry, biology, or related field.
• 3-7+ years of experience in pet or human food product development, formulation, commercialization, and/or process improvement
• Experience with thermal processing, canned foods, meat systems, sauces, gravies, emulsions, or retort systems, preferred
• Advanced written and verbal communication within a cross-functional team

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation and reformulation efforts for wet pet food products
• Develop samples to support customer requests and commercialization efforts; revise samples, as requested
• Evaluate ingredient/supplier alternatives and formulation adjustments to improve cost, quality, yield, and operational performance
• Improve product appearance, texture, viscosity, palatability, and consistency
• Ensure formulations and products meet AAFCO, FDA, FSMA, SQF, GMP, HACCP, and customer requirements
• Reduce reliance on external formulation partners by building internal technical capability
• Support shelf-life studies, product validation work, and packaging evaluations
• Maintain organized records of formulations, testing, project timelines, and trial results
• Partner with quality assurance to investigate product deviations, complaints, and process inconsistencies
• Assist sales and operations during customer meetings, launches, and commercialization discussions
• Work with operations to improve product consistency, process capability, and manufacturing efficiency
• Maintain regular and predictable on-site attendance
• Situations may arise that require employees to temporarily or permanently assume responsibility for tasks not specifically outlined in this job description. Employees may be requested to work additional hours and/or accommodate a heavier than normal workload.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in food, animal, or meat science, nutrition, chemistry, biology, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Outlook

Job description

Farmers Union Industries, LLC, through Performance Pet Products in Mitchell, SD, is hiring a Research & Development / Product Development Scientist. You will lead formulation and development of wet pet foods, support customer requests, and work with cross-functional teams to bring products to market.

The role offers a competitive salary and a benefits package including health, dental, vision, PTO, paid holidays, a strong 401K match, and opportunities to grow within a growing company.