R&D Data Steward for Food Innovation & PLM

CPS Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

CPS Inc. in Chicago, IL seeks a Master Data Scientist to bridge R&D and IT, building digital systems for ingredients, recipes, formulations, and development documentation to enable faster innovation and better traceability.

Onsite presence five days a week is required. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in food science or culinary product development, plus experience with complex data systems and structured documentation across cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Food Science, Data Management, or related field.
• 3+ years of experience in master data management, preferably in the food or CPG industry.
• Proficiency in data systems such as Specright, SAP, Plex, Genesis.

Responsibilities

• Build, maintain, and continuously improve a centralized digital repository for ingredients, recipes, formulations, and process documentation.
• Create standardized naming conventions, metadata structures, and version-control processes for all R&D documents.
• Ensure all ingredient specifications, COAs, nutritional data, allergen information, and regulatory documents are properly stored and linked.
• Maintain accurate version histories for formulas, prototypes, and scale-up iterations.
• Partner with IT to configure or optimize PLM, ERP, or R&D data systems.
• Collaborate with Food Scientists, Product Developers, and culinary teams to capture formulation changes, prototype notes, sensory results, and scale-up learnings.
• Assist in documenting new ingredients, technologies, and processes evaluated during product development.
• Ensure all product specifications and development records comply with food safety and regulatory requirements.
• Help translate R&D insights into structured data that can be used by Operations, QA, Regulatory, and Supply Chain.
• Systems & Technology Integration: Serve as the R&D team’s point of contact for IT regarding system improvements, data migration, and digital tool adoption.

Skills

Data management

Master data

Data systems

Collaboration

Education

BS degree in Food Science or Data Management

Tools

Specright

SAP

Plex

Genesis

Job description

CPS Inc. in Chicago, IL seeks a Master Data Scientist to bridge R&D and IT, building digital systems for ingredients, recipes, formulations, and development documentation to enable faster innovation and better traceability.

Onsite presence five days a week is required. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in food science or culinary product development, plus experience with complex data systems and structured documentation across cross-functional teams.