Senior Beverage Scientist

CPS, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

CPS, Inc. is seeking a Senior Food Scientist to lead beverage product development from bench top to scale-up, collaborating with Ingredient and Culinary teams to meet customer needs.

You’ll support on-site activities across North America and ensure projects meet safety, regulatory, and quality standards. The role requires 8 years in the beverage sector, a Bachelor's in Food Science or related field (Master’s preferred), and strong analytical and communication skills to drive innovation and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science/Technology or related field is required; master’s preferred.
• Eight years of beverage-focused food science experience required.
• Experience with beverage product development beyond prototype stage.
• Expertise in scale-up and commercialization from bench-top formulations.
• Strong sensory testing knowledge and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development for beverages and sweet applications from bench to scale-up.
• Collaborate with ingredient teams to design best-in-class formulations.
• Develop SOPs meeting sensorial, stability, nutritional, and regulatory demands.
• Conduct bench top analytical testing and report results to teams.
• Manage project records in CRM systems and track timelines within budgets.
• Travel 20–25% to support plant trials and customer projects.

Skills

Food science

Scale-up

Formulation design

Sensory analysis

Analytical testing

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

SAP

Interpersonal skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's in Food Science/Technology/related

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

CRM

Genesis

SAP

Job description

Reporting to the VP of Innovation Manager, the Senior Food Scientist will be responsible for the product development and innovation activities from bench top to scale-up of formulations in the Beverage and Sweet categories, as well as support other innovation application categories. The Senior Food Scientist will work closely with their Ingredient and Culinary teams to provide solutions for customer projects. This position will support customers as well as their teams on-site at their facilities within North America.

Responsibilities

• Perform product development activities focused on beverages and sweet applications such as beverages, spreads, syrups, ice cream and other dairy based products, with beverages being the priority.
• Manage the scale-up of bench top formulations to pilot plant and plant trials.
• Collaborate with ingredient specialists in the Cocoa, Nuts, Spices and Coffee teams to design best in class product formulations that exceed customer’s expectations.
• Design formulations for customers and trade show demonstrations that showcase current trends and new ingredient technologies.
• Develop formulations and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that meet the specific sensorial, stability, nutritional and regulatory demands of their customers.
• Conduct routine bench top analytical testing activities and interpret results. Communicate findings with the teams.
• Maintain thorough records of product formulations, specifications, and nutritional calculations in a database, track projects through CRM systems.
• Work with the ingredient suppliers to determine optimum ingredients for finished product formulations and evaluate different options on bench top formulas.
• Build insights based on development learnings to accelerate product development timelines.
• Ensure all product developments meet all required food and safety, consumer, and industry standards.
• Scale benchtop products to trial and production quantities. Attend plant trials and complete relevant documents.
• Ensure all projects are completed within the budget and on time.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Salary

$100,000 - $130,000

Benefits Available

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science/Technology, Food Engineering or a related field is required, Master’s degree is preferred.
• Eight (8) years of experience in food science in the beverage industry is required.
• Experience in the development and launch of beverage products beyond simple prototype development is required. Must understand the impact of plant processing and be able to design formulations accordingly.
• Expertise in product scale-up and commercialization from bench-top formulations is required.
• Strong understanding of general sensory testing, including its application to product development, is required.
• Experience with the manufacturing processes, ingredients, and equipment is required.
• Strong written and oral communication and interpersonal skills to effectively work with external customers and colleagues are required. Ability to communicate effectively with Leadership is required.
• Ability to conduct experimental design tests and accurately report results to management is required.Strong computer skills are required. Previous experience in the following systems is desirable: Microsoft Office, SAP, CRM, Genesis, etc.
• Ability and willingness to travel 20-25%.

JO: 8.30.26KO