Senior Beverage Technologist

Actalent; Addison (IL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Actalent in Addison, IL seeks a Senior Beverage Technologist to lead development and commercialization of innovative beverage solutions, including ready-to-drink, ready-to-mix, and plant-based products. Role combines hands-on formulation, pilot plant support, customer engagement, and cross-functional collaboration to bring concepts from idea to market.

Ideal candidates have 5–8 years of beverage product development, strong knowledge of processing, labeling, and scale-up, and excellent

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field.
• 5–8 years of beverage product development or applications experience.
• Experience with RTD, RTM, plant-based, carbonated, functional, alcoholic, and UHT beverages.
• Strong knowledge of beverage processing, scale-up, and commercialization.

Responsibilities

• Develop beverage formulations for customer projects, demonstrations, and trade shows.
• Lead projects from concept through pilot trials, scale-up, and commercialization.
• Provide technical support on labeling, regulatory requirements, and ingredient selection.
• Conduct sensory evaluations, product tastings, and formulation optimization.
• Deliver customer presentations and product demonstrations.
• Collaborate with customers and internal teams to develop market-ready beverage solutions.
• Maintain accurate project documentation and GMP-compliant laboratory practices.
• Support team development through mentorship and knowledge sharing.

Skills

Beverage development

Sensory evaluation

Project management

Customer-facing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field

Job description

Position Summary

We are seeking a Senior Beverage Technologist to lead the development and commercialization of innovative beverage solutions, including ready-to-drink, ready-to-mix, and plant-based products. This role combines hands‑on formulation, pilot plant support, customer engagement, and cross‑functional collaboration to bring beverage concepts from idea to market.

Senior Beverage Technologist

We are seeking a Senior Beverage Technologist to lead the development and commercialization of innovative beverage solutions, including ready-to-drink, ready-to-mix, and plant-based products. This role combines hands‑on formulation, pilot plant support, customer engagement, and cross‑functional collaboration to bring beverage concepts from idea to market.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop beverage formulations for customer projects, demonstrations, and trade shows.
• Lead projects from concept through pilot trials, scale‑up, and commercialization.
• Provide technical support on labeling, regulatory requirements, and ingredient selection.
• Conduct sensory evaluations, product tastings, and formulation optimization.
• Deliver customer presentations and product demonstrations.
• Collaborate with customers and internal teams to develop market‑ready beverage solutions.
• Maintain accurate project documentation and GMP‑compliant laboratory practices.
• Support team development through mentorship and knowledge sharing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Physical Sciences, or a related field.
• 5‑8 years of beverage product development or applications experience.
• Experience with RTD, RTM, plant‑based, carbonated, functional, alcoholic, and UHT beverages.
• Strong knowledge of beverage processing, scale‑up, and commercialization.
• Understanding of labeling regulations and ingredient functionality.
• Experience conducting sensory evaluations and interpreting results.
• Strong communication, presentation, project management, and customer‑facing skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with sports drinks, juice beverages, and dry beverage mixes.
• Familiarity with UHT systems, carbonators, pasteurizers, and Microthermics equipment.
• Strong laboratory organization and raw material management skills.
• Interest in growing into leadership and mentorship responsibilities.

Work Environment

GMP‑regulated laboratory and production environment with routine product tasting and sensory evaluation. Exposure to food allergens is expected. Ability to stand for extended periods and occasionally lift up to 30 lbs. Standard daytime schedule with collaboration across a small, highly interactive applications team.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Addison, IL.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $85000.00 - $95000.00/yr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job‑related factors.

Opportunities for growth

• Grow into more leadership and mentorship roles as company continued to grow Workplace Type This is a fully onsite position in Addison,IL. Application Deadline This position is anticipated to close on Sep 4, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.