Senior Bakery Applications Scientist & Innovation Lead

Balchem Corporation; Bridgeton (MO); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Balchem Corporation in Bridgeton, MO is seeking a Senior Food Scientist to join the Applications R&D team. The role focuses on solving manufacturing challenges in bakery products, scaling up innovations, and supporting commercialization efforts with scientific rigor.

You will lead cross-functional projects, translate consumer needs into insights, and provide technical support to customers, sales, and internal teams worldwide.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Culinology, Baking, or related field with 8+ years of manufacturing experience.
• Industrial baking experience covering breads, rolls, tortillas, cakes, muffins, and cookies.
• Strong GMP, HAACP, FDA regulation knowledge and sanitation standards.
• Advanced problem solving, data analysis and evaluation skills.
• Ability to learn quickly, manage multiple projects, and deliver high-quality results.
• Commitment to continuous learning and staying current with industry trends.
• Excellent written and verbal communication across cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency with MS Office and analytical tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead safety culture across all activities.
• Optimize and validate baked goods performance, shelf life, and sensory properties through testing and data analysis.
• Lead multiple complex projects aligning with customer and business goals.
• Collaborate with commercial and R&D teams to translate consumer needs into insights.
• Design and execute experiments to generate technical data supporting commercial strategy.
• Provide technical support to customers, sales, and internal departments.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Operations, Quality, and Regulatory to achieve cross-functional objectives.
• Stay updated on bakery technologies and foster relationships with customers and institutions.
• Develop new product ideas for demos and tradeshows leveraging Balchem ingredients.
• Mentor other scientists and deliver project status reports and recommendations.

Skills

Food science expertise

GMP knowledge

HAACP knowledge

FDA regulations knowledge

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science or related field

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Balchem Corporation in Bridgeton, MO is seeking a Senior Food Scientist to join the Applications R&D team. The role focuses on solving manufacturing challenges in bakery products, scaling up innovations, and supporting commercialization efforts with scientific rigor.

You will lead cross-functional projects, translate consumer needs into insights, and provide technical support to customers, sales, and internal teams worldwide.