Research & Development (R&D) Food Scientist

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

At SOPAKCO, innovation is at the heart of everything we do. As one of the nation's leading developers and manufacturers of shelf-stable foods and Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), we combine food science, technology, and creativity to deliver products that meet the highest standards for quality, safety, nutrition, and performance.

We're looking for an experienced Research & Development Food Scientist who is passionate about turning ideas into commercially successful products. In this role, you'll lead formulation development, evaluate new ingredients and technologies, conduct pilot plant trials, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to bring innovative products from concept to commercialization.

If you enjoy solving technical challenges, working with cutting-edge food technologies, and seeing your products reach customers around the world, we'd love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development

• Develop new food and beverage formulations from concept through commercialization.
• Prepare benchtop prototypes and conduct pilot plant and production 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 and identify opportunities for product innovation.

Process Development

• Partner with Operations during scale-up and commercialization.
• Improve manufacturing processes to ensure consistent product quality and production efficiency.
• Identify and evaluate new process technologies for product improvement

Sensory & Consumer Testing

• Design and conduct sensory evaluations.
• Analyze test results and refine formulations based on consumer, customer, and internal feedback.

Regulatory & Quality Compliance

• Develop products that comply with FDA, USDA, GMP, HACCP, labeling, and internal quality standards.
• Support specification development and product documentation.

Shelf-Life & Product Validation

• Design and oversee shelf-life studies.
• Evaluate product stability and establish quality standards throughout product life cycles.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Marketing, Sales, and external suppliers.
• Support customer requests, commercialization activities, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Technical Documentation

• Maintain accurate formulation records, technical reports, product specifications, and project documentation.

Qualifications

Required

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

Preferred

• Master’s degree in food science or related field. Culinary skills are a big plus.
• Experience within consumer-packaged goods (CPG), shelf-stable foods, military rations, or food manufacturing.
• Experience supporting commercial product launches and plant scale-up.
• Knowledge of clean label, functional ingredients, plant-based foods, and emerging food technologies.
• Experience using laboratory instrumentation such as HPLC, texture analyzers, moisture analyzers, or similar analytical equipment.

Why Join SOPAKCO?

We invest in our employees by offering competitive pay, meaningful work, and an outstanding benefits package designed to support your health, financial well-being, and professional growth.

SOPAKCO is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable federal, state, or local law.