Senior Flavor Applications Scientist

Chobani; North Brunswick Township (NJ); On-site; USD 94,000 - 147,950; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Equity

401k match

Medical, dental, vision

Tuition reimbursement

Parental leave

Job summary

Chobani seeks a Flavor Applications Scientist to join our Innovation R&D team as the primary flavor expert, supporting a fast-paced development pipeline. You will partner with R&D scientists, cross-functional stakeholders, and external flavor partners to identify, develop, optimize and commercialize flavor solutions that meet product, brand, technical, cost and timeline objectives.

The ideal candidate brings strong experience in flavor applications, flavor selection for dairy/beverage

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Food Engineering or related discipline. Advanced degree preferred.
• 4–7+ years experience in flavor applications, development, or related R&D.
• Experience working with flavor houses and managing projects from brief through commercialization.
• Strong understanding of flavor functionality within dairy, cultured dairy, beverage, or adjacent categories.
• Hands-on bench formulation experience and comfort working in a laboratory environment.
• Strong sensory evaluation skills with the ability to translate flavor observations into clear technical recommendations for internal stakeholders and vendor partners.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced innovation environment.
• Strong communication and influencing skills with the ability to effectively partner across technical and cross-functional teams.
• Ability to travel up to 30% to support vendor visits, pilot and plant trials, cross-site collaboration and other business needs.

Responsibilities

• Flavor Development: Lead flavor development activities across product innovation projects from concept through commercialization.
• Vendor Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for flavor houses and external partners; manage briefs and feedback.
• Sensory Evaluation: Lead flavor reviews, sensory evaluations, benchmarking activities, and tastings.
• Commercialization: Lead flavor selection and optimization through pilot, scale-up, and commercialization phases.
• Cross-Functional: Collaborate with NPD, Procurement, Quality, and Regulatory to align with business needs.
• Risk & Opportunity: Assess flavor-related risks for supply continuity, cost, and regulatory compliance.
• Documentation: Maintain clear documentation of submissions, evaluations, and decisions.

Skills

Flavor applications

Sensory evaluation

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Communication skills

Laboratory formulation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Food Engineering or related discipline

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Summary

We are seeking a Flavor Applications Scientist to join our Innovation R&D team and serve as the primary flavor subject matter expert supporting R&D initiatives across a fast‑paced innovation pipeline.

This role will partner closely with R&D scientists, cross‑functional stakeholders, and external flavor partners to identify, develop, optimize and commercialize flavor solutions that meet product, brand, technical, cost and timeline objectives. The successful candidate will lead flavor strategy and selection from concept through commercialization, providing hands‑on application expertise, sensory evaluation, formulation support, and technical guidance throughout the development process.

The ideal candidate brings strong experience in flavor applications, flavor selection, dairy and beverage systems, vendor collaboration, and sensory evaluation, along with a natural curiosity and passion for translating product ideas into successful consumer experiences.

Location: North Brunswick, NJ (on‑site); anticipated relocation to NYC 2027

Flavor Development and Product Support

• Serve as the primary flavor subject matter expert supporting Innovation R&D projects.
• Lead flavor development activities across product innovation projects from concept through commercialization.
• Partner with scientists to translate project briefs into flavor strategies aligned with target sensory profiles, brand positioning, technical requirements and cost objectives.
• Evaluate, screen, and recommend flavor systems across a variety of food and beverage applications.
• Conduct bench‑top flavor trials and optimize flavor performance within finished product matrices.
• Troubleshoot flavor‑related challenges including flavor impact, off‑notes, masking requirements, flavor stability and interactions with sweeteners, proteins, cultures, stabilizers and other key ingredients.
• Provide flavor‑focused guidance during formulation development to ensure flavor systems perform effectively through processing and shelf‑life.

Vendor Management and External Collaboration

• Serve as the primary point of contact for flavor houses and external partners supporting innovation projects.
• Develop clear and effective flavor briefs outlining project objectives, target sensory attributes, formulation context, ingredient restrictions, timing requirements and business needs.
• Manage flavor submissions, coordinate tasting reviews, provide actionable feedback, and drive iterative development towards final flavor selection.
• Build strong strategic relationships with flavor partners to improve responsiveness, creativity and speed to solution.
• Evaluate emerging flavor technologies, ingredients, and external capabilities to identify new opportunities for the business.

Sensory and Technical Evaluation

• Lead and facilitate flavor reviews, sensory evaluations, benchmarking activities, and comparative tastings in finished product systems.
• Partner with internal stakeholders to assess flavor fit, performance, consumer relevance and technical feasibility.
• Maintain clear documentation of flavor submissions, evaluations, key learnings, and final decisions.
• Support the development of internal best practices for flavor evaluation, flavor communication and knowledge sharing.

Commercialization and Cross Functional Partnership

• Lead flavor selection and optimization through pilot, scale‑up, and commercialization phases.
• Collaborate with New Product Development, Procurement, Quality, and Regulatory to ensure flavor decisions align with business and commercialization requirements.
• Assess flavor‑related risks associated with supply continuity, cost, regulatory compliance and technical feasibility.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of flavor development processes, vendor management practices and innovation ways of working.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Food Engineering or related scientific discipline. Advanced degree preferred.
• 4-7+ years experience in flavor applications, flavor development, or related R&D roles.
• Experience working directly with flavor house and managing flavor development projects from brief through commercialization.
• Strong understanding of flavor functionality within dairy, cultured dairy, beverage, or adjacent categories.
• Hands‑on bench formulation experience and comfort working in a laboratory environment.
• Strong sensory evaluation skills with the ability to translate flavor observations into clear technical recommendations for internal stakeholders and vendor partners.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast‑paced innovation environment.
• Strong communication and influencing skills with the ability to effectively partner across technical and cross‑functional teams.
• Ability to travel up to 30% to support vendor visits, pilot and plant trials, cross‑site collaboration and other business needs.

Chobani is an equal opportunity employer. Chobani will not discriminate against any applicant for employment on any basis including, but not limited to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, military and/or veteran status, marital status, predisposing genetic characteristics and genetic information, or any other classification protected by federal, state, and local laws.

The salary range for this full‑time position is $94,000.00 - $147,950.00, + bonus + equity + benefits. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Chobani provides a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision coverage, disability insurance, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, and tuition reimbursement. To help save for the future, all employees are eligible for a 401k match of 100% on up to 5% of eligible pay. To support growing families, we provide fertility and childcare assistance, and 12 weeks of parental leave at full pay after six months of continuous employment. In addition, we provide wellness resources which include an employee assistance program, fitness discounts, a wellness reimbursement, on‑site gym access (certain locations) and a monthly wellness newsletter to connect you with resources and timely information. We offer various types of paid time off including 120 hours of paid time off, 11 holidays, and paid volunteer time off.