Senior Dairy Innovation Scientist: Concept to Launch

Chobani

North Brunswick Township (NJ)

On-site

USD 94,000 - 148,000

Full time

14 days+

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Job summary

Chobani is seeking a Senior Scientist to join the Innovation R&D team in North Brunswick, NJ, on-site, with anticipated relocation to NYC in 2027. You will lead dairy product development projects from concept through commercialization, guiding bench-top experiments, pilot plant trials, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver successful launches.

The ideal candidate has hands-on product development experience, strong project management, and the ability to influence decisions across teams.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Food Engineering or related scientific discipline. Advanced degree preferred.
5+ years of experience in dairy product development, process development, or innovation-focused R&D.
Experience leading product development projects from concept through commercialization.
Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality, formulation development and food processing principles.
Experience collaborating with ingredient suppliers, external vendors and technical partners.
Proven project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, priorities and timelines in a fast-paced innovation environment.
Ability to analyze technical data, draw conclusions and make recommendations.
Self-starter with strong ownership, accountability and attention to detail.
Strong communication, presentation and influencing skills with the ability to build alignment and drive decisions across technical and cross-functional teams.
Ability to bring structure and clarity to complex projects while effectively navigating ambiguity and changing priorities.
Willingness to travel up to 30% to support vendor visits, pilot and plant trials, cross-site collaboration and other business needs.

Responsibilities

Lead product and technology development projects from concept through commercialization across the dairy category.
Design, formulate, and optimize products to meet sensory, nutritional, technical, operational and cost objectives.
Conduct hands-on bench-top formulation, prototype development and product optimization activities.
Design and execute experiments, analyze results, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
Apply knowledge of ingredient functionality, food chemistry, and processing technologies to solve technical challenges and improve product performance.
Identify opportunities for product, ingredient, and technology innovation that support business growth and strategic priorities.
Stay informed on consumer, market, and industry trends to inspire innovation.
Lead multiple innovation workstreams simultaneously by developing project plans, managing priorities, timelines and deliverables.
Maintain organized project documentation, technical reports, trial summaries, and development records.
Communicate project progress, key learnings, recommendations and critical decisions to stakeholders and leadership.
Lead technical development through pilot, plant trial, scale-up and commercialization phases.
Partner closely with NPD, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Engineering and other functions as needed to ensure successful product launches.
Collaborate with internal Technical Development and Product Excellence R&D teams to support scale-up, manufacturing readiness, operational execution and successful product launch implementation.
Support and travel to pilot plant and manufacturing trials as needed to ensure successful implementation of products and processes.
Assess technical feasibility, product stability, manufacturability, ingredient supply considerations and commercialization readiness throughout development.
Collaborate with ingredient suppliers, external vendors, and technical partners to evaluate solutions, support development activities and accelerate project execution.
Build strong partnerships across internal R&D and cross-functional teams to drive alignment and project success.
Clearly communicate technical concepts, recommendations and project risks to technical and non-technical audiences.
Influence decisions through scientific expertise, data-driven recommendations, and collaborative problem-solving.
Represent R&D in project reviews, trial activities, and commercialization discussions.