Senior Dairy Innovation Scientist (On-Site)

Daily Harvest; North Brunswick Township (NJ); On-site; USD 94,000 - 148,000; Full time

Job summary

Chobani is seeking a Senior Scientist to join the Innovation R&D team in North Brunswick, NJ, with anticipated relocation to NYC in 2027. You will lead the development of new dairy products from concept to commercialization, combining science, hands-on formulation, and cross‑functional leadership.

The role requires 5+ years in dairy product or process development, strong knowledge of ingredients and food processing, excellent project management, and the ability to influence stakeholders

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Food Engineering or related scientific discipline.
• 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.

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, and proactively identifying risks and solutions to keep projects on track.
• 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.

Skills

Product development

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Food science knowledge

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Chobani is seeking a Senior Scientist to join the Innovation R&D team in North Brunswick, NJ, with anticipated relocation to NYC in 2027. You will lead the development of new dairy products from concept to commercialization, combining science, hands-on formulation, and cross‑functional leadership.

The role requires 5+ years in dairy product or process development, strong knowledge of ingredients and food processing, excellent project management, and the ability to influence stakeholders