Principal Scientist - Fresh Food Product Development

Hill's Pet Nutrition; Topeka (KS); On-site; USD 148,000 - 174,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

Life insurance

Parental leave

Disability coverage

401(k) with company matching

Vacation and holidays

Job summary

Hill's Pet Nutrition seeks a Principal Scientist - Product Development in Topeka, KS to lead the technical design strategy for fresh pet food innovations.

You will bridge food science and process engineering, driving scale-up, validation, and regulatory compliance across pilot and full-scale plant trials.

This role reports to R&D and offers the chance to shape a new category frontier for a top veterinary-recommended brand with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a relevant scientific field is required.
• 8+ years of food product development or process engineering experience.
• Proven commercialization track record for complex food products.
• Deep mastery of formulation design and manufacturing technology.

Responsibilities

• Act as technical lead and SME to drive product design strategy for novel fresh pet food forms.
• Direct design, testing, and validation of production processes for scale-up and viability.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, and Procurement to deliver robust designs and conduct plant trials.
• Oversee documentation, specs, and regulatory support including IP filings.

Skills

Formulation design

Process engineering

Education

Master’s degree in Food Science or Food Engineering

PhD in Food Science or related field

Job description

Relocation Assistance Offered Within Country

Job Number #174847 - Topeka, Kansas, United States

Role Summary

As the Principal Scientist - Product Development, you will report into Hill's R&D in Topeka, KS, leading the technical product design strategy for our high-growth fresh pet food innovation category. This role offers the unique opportunity to anchor a brand-new category frontier for the US #1 Veterinarian Recommended pet food brand, pioneering next-generation food forms, textures, and delivery systems. The single most important objective of this position is to serve as the primary technical Subject Matter Expert (SME), masterfully bridging food science and process engineering to deliver robust, scalable, and standard-setting fresh food solutions.

Responsibilities

• Technical Lead & Category Innovation: Serve as the primary technical lead and SME to drive the product design strategy for novel food forms and breakthrough offerings within the fresh pet food category.
• Process Engineering & Line Optimization: Direct the design, testing, and validation of production processes to optimize manufacturing lines, improve scale‑up success, and ensure commercial viability.
• Cross-Functional Scale-Up & Validation: Partner closely with Supply Chain, Engineering, Quality, and Ingredient Procurement to deliver robust product designs. Oversee pilot and full-scale plant trials, validating product safety, quality, shelf‑life, and palatability performance.
• Documentation & Regulatory Compliance: Oversee the commercial formulation documentation, define raw material and finished product specifications, and support intellectual property or patent filings in compliance with regulatory safety standards.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Master’s degree (MS) in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a closely related scientific field.
• Experience: 8+ years of food industry product development or process engineering experience.
• Commercialization Track Record: Demonstrated track record of successfully commercializing complex food products from concept through full-scale industrial manufacturing.
• Technical Mastery: Deep technical mastery of both formulation design (food science) and manufacturing technology (process engineering) identifiable from previous project history.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Degree: Ph.D. in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related scientific field.
• Target Category Expertise: Direct technical experience in the human Ready-to-Eat (RTE) food category, fresh‑prepared food manufacturing, or chilled/cold‑chain food distribution networks.
• Preservation Expertise: Strong functional capability in fresh food preservation techniques, moisture management, and microbiological control in high‑moisture environments.
• Technical Leadership & Collaboration: Proven competency in guiding, mentoring, or functionally leading technical teams of scientists while driving alignment across cross-functional business priorities.
• Functional Competencies: Advanced capability in core functional areas including Product Design, Technological Innovation, and Technology Fundamentals.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range $148,000.00 - $174,000.00 USD

Pay is determined based on experience, qualifications, and location. Salaried employees may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses, profit‑sharing, and long‑term incentives for Executive‑level roles.

Benefits: Salaried employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, paid parental leave, disability coverage, and participation in the 401(k) retirement plan with company matching contributions subject to eligibility requirements. Additional benefits include a minimum of 15 vacation/PTO days (hourly employees receive a minimum of 120 hours) and 13 paid holidays (vacation days are prorated based on the employee's hire date within the calendar year). Paid sick leave is adjusted based on role and location in accordance with local laws. Detailed information regarding paid sick leave entitlements will be provided to employees upon hiring and may be subject to adjustments based on changes in legislation or company policies.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Colgate is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, marital status, veteran status (United States positions), or any other characteristic protected by law.

Reasonable accommodation during the application process is available for persons with disabilities. Please complete this request form should you require accommodation.