R&D Food Scientist

Kelly Services; Silverton (OR); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Retirement savings plan

Paid holidays (up to eight per year)

Transit spending account

Job summary

Kelly Science & Clinical, a growing premium dessert manufacturer in the Silverton, Oregon area, is seeking an R&D Food Scientist for a full-time, direct-hire role. The candidate will join a lean R&D team to develop and improve dessert products, including pies and other baked offerings, and will work closely with production and quality teams to troubleshoot issues at the plant.

The role emphasizes hands-on formulation, product evaluation, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to bring

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in food manufacturing, ideally in product development, R&D, or another role with direct production-floor support.
• Experience in bakery, pastry, dessert, or a related food category preferred.
• Practical baking skills and a good understanding of product quality and sensory evaluation.
• Strong critical-thinking skills, curiosity, and the ability to give detailed, thoughtful answers when solving problems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and refine dessert products through hands-on formulation, bench work, and production trials.
• Build and evaluate products, document formulas and results, and support product development projects.
• Work with production leads to troubleshoot product and process issues, including scaling formulas and recommending adjustments.
• Partner closely with Quality to evaluate new products, production deviations, and product quality.
• Use critical thinking and sound judgment to investigate problems, identify contributing factors, and recommend practical solutions.
• Help maintain accurate production and product information in the company’s ERP system during its transition to a new platform.
• Adapt priorities as needed to support day-to-day production operations.

Skills

Dessert product development

Critical thinking

Problem solving

Production-floor support

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science

Job description

R&D Food Scientist

Kelly® Science & Clinical is seeking an R&D Food Scientist for a full-time, direct-hire position with a growing dessert manufacturing company in the Silverton, Oregon area . If you’re passionate about bringing the latest scientific discoveries to life and are ready to take the next step in your career, trust The Experts at Hiring Experts.

Salary:

$80–$90k per year, depending on experience.

Overview:

This company is a growing premium dessert manufacturer expanding its product development capabilities and production capacity. In this hands-on role, you’ll join a lean R&D team and help develop and improve dessert products, including pies and other baked offerings. You’ll spend much of your time formulating and building products, while also working closely with production and quality teams to troubleshoot issues at the plant.

Schedule:

Monday-Friday, standard working hours. Some flexibility required to work OT to meet production needs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and refine dessert products through hands-on formulation, bench work, and production trials.

• Build and evaluate products, document formulas and results, and support product development projects.

• Work with production leads to troubleshoot product and process issues, including scaling formulas and recommending adjustments.

• Partner closely with Quality to evaluate new products, production deviations, and product quality.

• Use critical thinking and sound judgment to investigate problems, identify contributing factors, and recommend practical solutions.

• Help maintain accurate production and product information in the company’s ERP system during its transition to a new platform.

• Adapt priorities as needed to support day-to-day production operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or a closely related field.

• 2+ years of experience in food manufacturing, ideally in product development, R&D, or another role with direct production-floor support.

• Experience in bakery, pastry, dessert, or a related food category preferred .

• Practical baking skills and a good understanding of product quality and sensory evaluation.

• Strong critical‑thinking skills, curiosity, and the ability to give detailed, thoughtful answers when solving problems.

What happens next

Once you apply, you’ll proceed to next steps if your skills and experience look like a good fit. But don’t worry—even if this position doesn’t work out, you’re still in our network. That means our team of expert Science & Clinical recruiters will have access to your profile, making your opportunities limitless.

As part of our promise to talent, Kelly supports those who work with us through a variety of benefits, perks, and work‑related resources. Please note: The following benefits reflect Kelly's general offerings. Eligibility may vary by assignment, location, and job type. Kelly offers eligible employees voluntary benefit plans including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, term life, whole life, accident insurance, critical illness, a legal plan, and short‑term disability. As a Kelly employee, you will have access to a retirement savings plan, service bonus and holiday pay plans (earn up to eight paid holidays per benefit year), and a transit spending account. In addition, employees are entitled to earn paid sick leave under the applicable state or local plan.

Why Kelly ® Science & Clinical?

Kelly Science & Clinical is your connection to premier scientific and clinical companies looking to hire industry experts just like you. Our team creates expert talent solutions to solve the world’s most critical challenges. Every day, we match science professionals with dream jobs that fit their skills, interests, and career goals—it’s the way we think job searching should be. Nearly 100 percent of our science recruiters have a professional background and education in science, so we know a thing or two about the science market and how to get your expertise noticed.

About Kelly

Work changes everything. And at Kelly, we’re obsessed with where it can take you. To us, it’s about more than simply accepting your next job opportunity. It’s the fuel that powers every next step of your life. It’s the ripple effect that changes and improves everything for your family, your community, and the world. Which is why, here at Kelly, we are dedicated to providing you with limitless opportunities to enrich your life—just ask the 300,000 people we employ each year.

Kelly is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants regardless of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and we take affirmative action to recruit, employ, and advance qualified individuals with disabilities and protected veterans in the workforce. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to the Kelly Human Resource Knowledge Center. Kelly complies with the requirements of California’s state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment. Kelly participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

Kelly may use AI-powered tools during the recruitment and hiring process. For full details, including how Kelly uses AI, your rights, and how to request a reasonable accommodation, visit the Recruitment Artificial Intelligence Notice (https://www.kellyservices.com/hubfs/myKelly/Resources/Employment_Policies/Recruitment-Artificial-Intelligence-Notice.pdf?hsLang=en) .

Kelly Services is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affluent Action employer. We welcome, value, and embrace diversity at all levels and are committed to building a team that is inclusive of a variety of backgrounds, communities, perspectives, and abilities. At Kelly, we believe that the more inclusive we are, the better services we can provide. Requests for accommodation related to our application process can be directed to Kelly’s Human Resource Knowledge Center. Kelly complies with the requirements of California’s state and local Fair Chance laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment.