Senior Beverage Scientist

Hunter the Headhunter; Cranbury Township (NJ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous PTO and paid holidays

401(k) with company match

Medical, dental, and vision

Job summary

Hunter the Headhunter is representing a client in Cranbury, NJ seeking a Senior Beverage Scientist to drive beverage and flavor development using a broad portfolio of natural ingredients. You will collaborate with customers, sales, and internal innovation teams to bring concepts to life.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years of beverage development, strong project management, and deep knowledge of processing technologies. Travel up to 25% is required; relocation may not be necessary.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field.
• 10+ years of beverage development in flavor, ingredient, beverage, or CP G.
• Proven concept-to-commercialization track record.
• Strong knowledge of beverage processing technologies and manufacturing methods.
• Excellent organization, project management, and multitasking skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM tools such as Salesforce.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Develop innovative beverage solutions using flavors, flavor systems, functional ingredients, and coffee and tea extracts.
• Lead projects from concept through commercialization: formulation, stability testing, documentation, and costing.
• Develop carbonated, functional, ready-to-drink, and coffee/tea-based beverages.
• Apply processing knowledge including pasteurization, homogenization, hot-fill, carbonation, and canning.
• Build technical relationships with customers; support customer visits and ideation sessions with sales.
• Contribute to innovation presentations, rapid prototyping, and new concept development.
• Support pilot trials and production runs during commercialization.
• Manage multiple projects against timelines and technical milestones.
• Support lifecycle management focused on cost reduction and margin optimization.
• Maintain accurate lab documentation and follow GLP, ISO, and safety standards.

Skills

Project management

Communication

Multitasking

Presentation skills

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's in Food Science/ Food Engineering/ Chemistry

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

About the company:

Our client is an established, independent U.S. manufacturer of natural, clean-label ingredients for the food and beverage industry. Their portfolio spans natural flavors, botanical extracts, functional nutrition, coffee and tea extracts, and food protection solutions, supported by vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities including fermentation, extraction, custom flavor development, and drying and blending technologies. They partner with leading brands, manufacturers, and foodservice operators to bring better-for-you products to market faster.

About the role:

Our client is seeking a Senior Beverage Scientist in Cranbury, NJ to drive growth in its beverage and flavor categories. You'll work directly with customers, sales, and internal innovation teams to create winning beverage solutions from a broad portfolio of natural ingredients. The ideal candidate is a highly technical beverage expert with strong project management skills who enjoys bringing customer concepts to life.

Compensation:

$120,000 - $145,000 base salary + benefits

What you'll do:

• Develop innovative beverage solutions using flavors, flavor systems, functional ingredients, and coffee and tea extracts
• Lead projects from concept through commercialization: formulation, stability testing, documentation, and costing
• Develop carbonated, functional, ready-to-drink, and coffee/tea-based beverages
• Apply processing knowledge including pasteurization, homogenization, hot-fill, carbonation, and canning
• Build technical relationships with customers; support customer visits and ideation sessions with sales
• Contribute to innovation presentations, rapid prototyping, and new concept development
• Support pilot trials and production runs during commercialization
• Manage multiple projects against timelines and technical milestones
• Support lifecycle management focused on cost reduction and margin optimization
• Maintain accurate lab documentation and follow GLP, ISO, and safety standards

What you bring:

• Bachelor's in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field
• 10+ years of beverage development in flavor, ingredient, beverage, or CPG
• Proven concept-to-commercialization track record
• Strong knowledge of beverage processing technologies and manufacturing methods
• Excellent organization, project management, and multitasking skills
• Strong communication and presentation skills with customers and cross-functional teams
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and CRM tools such as Salesforce
• Ability to travel up to 25%

Work environment:

May involve exposure to common allergens (soy, wheat, fish, shellfish, milk, egg, tree nuts, sesame).

What our client offers:

• Generous PTO and paid holidays
• 401(k) with company matchMedical, dental, and vision
• Health & wellness programs

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship now or in the future. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.