R&D Food Scientist: Formulation, Scale-Up & Innovation

SOPAKCO Inc.; Bennettsville (SC); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Benefits package

Job summary

SOPAKCO Inc. is seeking an experienced Research & Development Food Scientist to drive formulation development from concept to commercialization.

You will lead pilot plant trials, evaluate ingredients, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to turn ideas into market-ready products. The role requires strong knowledge of food chemistry, microbiology, and regulatory standards, with a focus on shelf-life, quality, and process improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in food science or related field.
• Experience in food formulation, product development, pilot plant operations, or process development.
• Strong understanding of food chemistry, food microbiology, and thermal processing.
• Working knowledge of FDA and USDA regulations, GMPs, HACCP, and labeling requirements.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop new food and beverage formulations from concept through commercialization.
• Lead benchtop prototypes and pilot plant trials.
• Optimize formulations for quality, functionality, cost, manufacturability, and shelf life.
• Evaluate ingredients for functionality, nutrition, flavor, texture, stability, and cost.
• Research emerging ingredient technologies for product innovation.
• Partner with Operations during scale-up and commercialization.
• Improve manufacturing processes for consistent product quality and efficiency.
• Identify and evaluate new process technologies for product improvement.
• Design and conduct sensory evaluations; analyze results and refine formulations.
• Develop products compliant with FDA, USDA, GMP, HACCP, labeling, and internal standards.
• Support specification development and product documentation.
• Design and oversee shelf-life studies and product validation.
• Collaborate with Operations, QA, Procurement, Marketing, Sales, and suppliers.
• Maintain accurate formulation records, technical reports, and specs.

Skills

Food chemistry

Food microbiology

Thermal processing

Analytical skills

Project management

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related field

Tools

HPLC

Texture analyzers

Moisture analyzers

Job description

SOPAKCO Inc. is seeking an experienced Research & Development Food Scientist to drive formulation development from concept to commercialization.

You will lead pilot plant trials, evaluate ingredients, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to turn ideas into market-ready products. The role requires strong knowledge of food chemistry, microbiology, and regulatory standards, with a focus on shelf-life, quality, and process improvements.