Principal Product Development Scientist

Ocean Spray; Lakeville (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior/Principal Product Development Scientist to innovate and create exciting food and beverage products. This role involves leading experiments, developing formulations, and collaborating with various teams to meet consumer needs. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in food science and product development, with a passion for creating innovative solutions. Join a team that values creativity, teamwork, and integrity while making a significant impact in the food industry. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to a farmer-owned cooperative dedicated to quality and sustainability.

Benefits

Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401(k) with Company Matching

Flexible Scheduling

Vacation Pay

Tuition Assistance

Parental Leave

Fitness Reimbursement

Employee Discounts

Career Development Opportunities

Employee Appreciation Events

Qualifications

• 6+ years in product development in Food/Beverage industry.
• Strong knowledge of food chemistry and processing technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead experiments for product development in lab and pilot plant.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to innovate new products.

Skills

Food Science Fundamentals

Product Development

Statistical Analysis

Technical Communication

Project Management

Experiment Design

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Food Science

Master's Degree in Food Science or related field

Tools

Laboratory Equipment

Pilot Plant Equipment

Job description

Ocean Spray is hiring for a(n) Sr. Scientist / Principal Product Development Scientist! We’re a team of farmers, thinkers, creators, and doers. Whatever your title, whatever your role — it always comes back to this: we’re a farmer-owned co-op where everyone rolls up their sleeves to get the job done. Three maverick farmers started it all — and we’ve been making our own way ever since.

Ocean Spray's Product Development and Culinary Innovation team (PDCI) is hiring! Our mission is to craft product innovation with industry-leading technical knowledge to deliver products consumers crave and benefits they trust.

We are seeking a Senior Product Development Scientist or Principal Product Development Scientist with in-depth technical knowledge and expertise to create innovative food and beverage products. The Senior/Principal Scientist will design and execute experiments using sound scientific methods and technical rigor while building new technical capabilities for Ocean Spray and its strategic partners.

A Day in the Life...

• Lead the design and execution of project experiments including bench-top, pilot plant, and production plant trials.
• Develop product formulations based on a fundamental understanding of ingredient functionality, food chemistry, flavor, stability, and process interactions.
• Assess new products and/or ingredient propositions with strong technical rigor and thorough risk assessments. Analyze product scale-up compatibility, anticipate potential risks and identify contingency plans.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Consumer Insights, Sensory Science and cross functional partners to develop learning plans that uncover consumer needs and product innovation opportunities. Be creative, curious, and inspired to develop new product ideas and prototypes.
• Travel Required for the role – 10-15%

What We Are Looking For:

Senior Product Development Scientist:

• BS in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry, or similar discipline with over six years of relevant experience and a strong track record of product development in the Food/Beverage industry. CPG Product Development experience is preferred.
• Strong working knowledge of food science fundamentals including chemistry, flavors, quality control, sensory, processing technologies, and relevant regulations and laws.
• Comfortable working in the lab, pilot plant, and manufacturing settings. Willingness to be hands-on in conducting experiments, developing hypotheses, and resolving challenges.
• Strong interpersonal skills and technical communication skills to influence key stakeholders both inside and outside of the Research, Development & Sustainability department.
• Agile and adaptable; ability to effectively react to scope changes and navigate through ambiguity.

• Strong attention to detail while understanding impacts on broader strategic project objectives.
• Demonstrates a willingness to evaluate a wide range of flavors and tastes on a regular basis and does not have any food allergies.

Principal Product Development Scientist:

• Inclusive of all the responsibilities for a Senior Product Development Scientist, plus:
• At least 10 years of relevant experience. CPG Product Development experience and an advanced degree are preferred.
• Robust experience designing and executing experiments, analyzing data with statistics, and making recommendations based on data.
• Mentorship skills and willingness to coach more junior scientists on relevant scientific principles, effective experimental design and data analysis.
• Identify, develop and implement new technologies related to product formulation or processing.
• Strong grasp of technical project management. Routinely leads collaboration with cross-functional technical teams to execute technical project deliverables on time and on budget.

Education:

Bachelor's or University Degree (Required) Master's Degree (Preferred)

Work Experience:

At least 7 Years of Experience

Benefits:

• Complete insurance package on Day-1 that includes a plethora of health and wellness programs
  • Health, Dental, and Vision insurance
  • Health savings account
  • Flexible spending account
  • Life and accident insurance
  • Employee assistance program
  • Telehealth services
  • Fertility benefits
  • Transgender benefits
  • 1:1 health coaching and more
• 401(k) with up to 6% Company matching; additional potential discretionary match at year-end
• Short-Term Incentive/Performance bonuses
• Flexible scheduling options
• Vacation pay, up to three weeks of time (pro-rated for your first year of employment)
• Holiday pay for 12 holidays
• Career development and growth opportunities
• Tuition/Education assistance programs
• Access to LinkedIn Learning
• Scholarship programs for children of employees
• Parental leave
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions – Back-up care, tutoring, etc.
• Adoption assistance
• Bereavement leave
• Up to $300 fitness reimbursement
• Up to $300 massage reimbursement
• Employee appreciation events
• Employee discounts
• Charitable giving

Who We Are:

You might have our iconic cranberry juice in your fridge or have gotten into heated holiday debate about what’s better - canned or fresh cranberry sauce. But did you know that the hardworking people growing the superfruit in our products are 700 family farmers that own our cooperative? They entrust us with what is most precious to them to create new and innovative products that will delight consumers and grow this beloved brand today and into the future.

Team members, farmers, consumers and communities alike--we value what makes us unique and strive to connect our farms to families for a better life by living our values:

• G rower Mindset – We embrace our grower-owners innovative spirit and heritage through confidence, learning and focus on the future.
• Sustainable R esults – Guided by purpose, we are focused on delivering results for our grower-owners.
• I ntegrity Above All – We are ethical, doing the right thing for our grower-owners, customers, consumers and each other.
• Inclusive T eamwork – We build diverse and inclusive teams that strengthen our cooperative.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.