Research And Development Specialist

The Judge Group; California; Sur place; USD 114 616 000 - 128 943 000; Plein temps

Avantages offerts par ce poste

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Résumé du poste

The Judge Group seeks a Product Innovation Specialist to join our Innovation and Research & Development team in Vista, California. This hands-on role focuses on cheese, dairy, and related products, guiding products from concept to commercialization.

You will run bench-top and pilot-scale trials, perform sensory evaluations, document results, and collaborate with Operations, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Packaging, and Manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field or equivalent industry experience.
• 3–5 years in Food R&D, Product Development, or related technical food manufacturing.
• Experience developing and testing food formulations.

Responsabilités

• Develop, test, and refine new food product formulations from concept through commercialization.
• Execute bench-top and pilot-scale product development trials.
• Produce samples for customer presentations, sales meetings, workshops, and internal evaluations.
• Conduct sensory, flavor, and quality evaluations with detailed feedback.
• Troubleshoot formulation and processing challenges during development.
• Maintain accurate formulation records, test results, and documentation.
• Support pilot plant activities, shelf-life studies, and product validation testing.
• Monitor trends to support innovation initiatives and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Connaissances

Product formulation

Sensory evaluation

Cross-functional collaboration

Excel

Project coordination

Data analysis

Formation

Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field

Outils

Microsoft Excel

Description du poste

Our Client is seeking a Product Innovation Specialist (Food R&D)

Rate: $40-$45 an hour on W2

About the Role

We are seeking a Product Innovation Specialist to join our Innovation and Research & Development team. This is a hands-on product development role supporting the creation, testing, and commercialization of new food products, with a focus on cheese, dairy, and related products. The ideal candidate will have experience in food product development, strong sensory evaluation skills, and the ability to work collaboratively across multiple departments.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, test, and refine new food product formulations from concept through commercialization.
• Execute bench-top and pilot-scale product development trials.
• Produce samples for customer presentations, sales meetings, workshops, and internal evaluations.
• Conduct sensory, flavor, and quality evaluations, providing detailed feedback on product performance.
• Troubleshoot formulation and processing challenges during product development.
• Maintain accurate formulation records, test results, and development documentation.
• Support pilot plant activities, shelf-life studies, and product validation testing.
• Monitor consumer, ingredient, flavor, and industry trends to support innovation initiatives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Operations, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Packaging, and Manufacturing.
• Work with production facilities to identify ingredient needs and support ongoing product improvements.
• Assist with commercialization activities, including formula scale-up and process optimization.
• Utilize Microsoft Excel to develop, manage, and maintain product formulations and technical data.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Food Technology, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• 3-5 years of experience in Food R&D, Product Development, Food Innovation, or a related technical food manufacturing environment.
• Experience developing and testing food formulations.
• Strong sensory evaluation skills with the ability to assess flavor, texture, aroma, and overall product quality.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including maintaining and managing formulation data.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem‑solving abilities.
• Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast‑paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with dairy, cheese, dips, spreads, cultured dairy products, or related categories.
• Knowledge of dairy science, cheese manufacturing processes, and flavor systems.
• Experience supporting pilot plant trials and commercialization activities.
• Understanding of food ingredient functionality and formulation principles.

Desired Skills

• Product formulation and development
• Sensory and flavor evaluation
• Food manufacturing processes
• Dairy and cheese product development
• Technical documentation
• Project coordination
• Cross-functional communication
• Data analysis and formulation management using Excel
• Onsite position based in Vista, California.
• Five days per week in office/laboratory setting.
• Combination of bench‑top development, pilot plant work, sample preparation, and office‑based documentation activities.

Preferred Industry Background: Dairy, cheese, dips, spreads, cultured dairy products, or related food manufacturing environments.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance are available to qualified candidates who meet eligibility requirements.