Scientist Food II

Marzetti Company; Lewis Center (OH); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Marzetti Company in Ohio seeks a Food Scientist II to develop and refine dressings, sauces, condiments and related products, owning project components from formulation to commercialization while ensuring safety, quality and regulatory compliance.

You will work cross-functionally with Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Marketing and Supply Chain to scale up processes, optimize performance, and document learnings for successful launches.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field required; Master's degree a plus.
• 3+ years of relevant food science experience, including product development, process optimization, quality, or related experience.
• Experience with food formulation, testing, scale-up, and commercialization; dressings, sauces, condiments, or emulsions preferred.
• Working knowledge of ingredient functionality, food processing, food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Strong problem-solving, data analysis, documentation, and communication skills with the ability to make data-backed technical recommendations.
• Ability to work independently, manage assigned project components, and collaborate effectively across functions.
• Occasional plant travel required.

Responsibilities

• Independently develop, refine, and optimize formulations for taste, texture, stability, nutrition, cost, and manufacturability.
• Design and execute product testing using ingredient functionality, sensory evaluation, analytical data, and processing requirements.
• Troubleshoot formulation and processing challenges and make data-backed technical recommendations within assigned scope.
• Apply ingredient technologies and formulation methods to improve product performance and support innovation.
• Develop and maintain product specifications, formulations, test results, and technical documentation.
• Support and execute commercialization, scale-up, and plant trial activities for assigned projects.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and other cross-functional teams to transition products from lab to commercial production.
• Support production start-ups and troubleshoot formulation and processing challenges.
• Evaluate and optimize processing parameters to improve product consistency, quality, and performance.
• Document and communicate key technical learnings, processing requirements, and recommendations.
• Ensure formulations meet applicable food safety, quality, regulatory labeling, and customer requirements.
• Partner with Regulatory Affairs to support ingredient statements, nutrition information, allergen reviews, claims, and label compliance.
• Collaborate with Quality and Manufacturing to develop product specifications and support consistent execution in production.
• Apply food safety and quality principles throughout product development and commercialization.
• Collaborate with Culinary, Consumer Insights, Marketing, Sales, Procurement, Packaging, Quality, Regulatory, Operations, Engineering, and other partners to advance assigned work.
• Communicate technical results, recommendations, risks, and trade-offs clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Work with ingredient suppliers and external partners, as appropriate, to evaluate ingredients, troubleshoot issues, and support product development.
• Manage assigned project components, identify risks, and elevate issues when decisions fall outside established scope or authority.

Skills

Data analysis

Documentation

Communication

Problem-solving

Independent work

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science

Master's degree (a plus)

Job description

Overview

Position Summary: The Food Scientist II develops and improves salad dressings, sauces, condiments, and related food products through independent formulation refinement, testing, specification development, and commercialization support. This role owns assigned project components and uses technical expertise and data to recommend solutions that improve product performance, quality, cost, and manufacturability. The Food Scientist II works cross-functionally to support successful scale-up and commercialization while ensuring food safety, quality, regulatory, and customer requirements are met.

Responsibilities → What You'll Do

Product & Process Development

• Independently develop, refine, and optimize formulations for taste, texture, stability, nutrition, cost, and manufacturability.
• Design and execute product testing using knowledge of ingredient functionality, sensory evaluation, analytical data, and processing requirements.
• Troubleshoot formulation and processing challenges and make data-backed technical recommendations within assigned scope.
• Apply ingredient technologies and formulation methods to improve product performance and support innovation.
• Develop and maintain product specifications, formulations, test results, and technical documentation.

Commercialization & Scale-Up

• Support and execute commercialization, scale-up, and plant trial activities for assigned projects.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, Quality, and other cross-functional teams to transition products from lab to commercial production.
• Support production start-ups and troubleshoot formulation and processing challenges.
• Evaluate and optimize processing parameters to improve product consistency, quality, and performance.
• Document and communicate key technical learnings, processing requirements, and recommendations.

Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory

• Ensure formulations meet applicable food safety, quality, regulatory labeling, and customer requirements.
• Partner with Regulatory Affairs to support ingredient statements, nutrition information, allergen reviews, claims, and label compliance.
• Collaborate with Quality and Manufacturing to develop product specifications and support consistent execution in production.
• Apply food safety and quality principles throughout product development and commercialization.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with Culinary, Consumer Insights, Marketing, Sales, Procurement, Packaging, Quality, Regulatory, Operations, Engineering, and other partners to advance assigned work.
• Communicate technical results, recommendations, risks, and trade-offs clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Work with ingredient suppliers and external partners, as appropriate, to evaluate ingredients, troubleshoot issues, and support product development.
• Manage assigned project components, identify risks, and elevate issues when decisions fall outside established scope or authority.

Qualifications → What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field required; Master's degree a plus.
• 3+ years of relevant food science experience, including product development, process optimization, quality, or related experience.
• Experience with food formulation, testing, scale-up, and commercialization; experience with dressings, sauces, condiments, or emulsions preferred.
• Working knowledge of ingredient functionality, food processing, food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Strong problem-solving, data analysis, documentation, and communication skills with the ability to make data-backed technical recommendations.
• Ability to work independently, manage assigned project components, and collaborate effectively across functions.
• Occasional plant travel required

Supervisory Responsibility:

• None

Working Conditions/Environment

Works in a normal office environment where the employee is regularly required to speak, see, hear, sit, stand, talk, type, walk and bend while moving about the facility. The noise level in the office is quiet. Occasional travel to plants or meetings is required.

About Us

The Marzetti Company (Nasdaq: MZTI) manufactures and sells specialty food products. Our retail brands include Marzetti® dressings and dips, New York Bakery™ garlic breads, and Sister Schubert’s® dinner rolls, in addition to exclusive license agreements for Olive Garden® dressings, Chick-fil-A® sauces and dressings, Buffalo Wild Wings® sauces, Arby’s® sauces, Subway® sauces, and Texas Roadhouse® steak sauces and frozen rolls. Our foodservice business supplies sauces, dressings, breads, and pasta to many of the top restaurant chains in the United States. At Marzetti, our mission is to make every meal better through high-quality, flavorful food. Led by our purpose, to nourish growth with all that we do, our team members are dedicated to creating great tasting food and cultivating deep and lasting relationships.