Senior Enzyme Scientist & Product Innovator

Actalent; Bartlett (IL); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental plan

Vision plan

401K

PTO

Holiday pay

Job summary

Actalent, based in Bartlett, IL, seeks a Principal Scientist to lead advanced enzyme research and product innovation with heavy hands-on lab work and technical leadership. The role drives 75% lab activity, patent development, customer collaboration, and team mentoring, all within GMP/SQF compliant frameworks.

Ideal candidates hold a PhD in a scientific field, 3–5 years in R&D and supervision, and proven patent experience.

Qualifications

• PhD required in a scientific discipline.
• 3-5 years of R&D, food science, and supervisory experience.
• Experience leading patent filings and technical teams.
• Proven ability to mentor lab personnel.

Responsibilities

• Execute complex lab experiments and bench-scale research.
• Identify product opportunities through market analysis and customer engagement.
• Develop novel product applications from concept to commercialization.
• Lead end-to-end design and development of new products.
• Deliver presentations at meetings and conferences.
• Supervise and mentor laboratory staff.
• Ensure GMP and SQF compliance.
• Manage external relationships with food research institutes.
• Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to drive business development.
• Oversee lab operations and safety protocols.
• Coordinate with global R&D groups.

Skills

R&D experience in food science

Lab work 75% time

Enzyme experience in food

Patent filing experience

Supervisory experience

PhD

3-5 years experience

Education

PhD in a scientific discipline

Tools

GC

HPLC

Spectrophotometry

Job description

Actalent, based in Bartlett, IL, seeks a Principal Scientist to lead advanced enzyme research and product innovation with heavy hands-on lab work and technical leadership. The role drives 75% lab activity, patent development, customer collaboration, and team mentoring, all within GMP/SQF compliant frameworks.

Ideal candidates hold a PhD in a scientific field, 3–5 years in R&D and supervision, and proven patent experience.