Senior Food Scientist

UPSIDE Foods; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cultivated meat company in Berkeley, CA, is seeking a Senior Food Scientist to lead product development projects. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in product commercialization, particularly in meat science. This role involves technical project management and collaboration with various teams to innovate in cultivated meat products. Competitive salary range is offered along with generous benefits including unlimited PTO and employer-paid healthcare.

Benefits

Stock options

90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums

Pet insurance

Unlimited PTO

Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant experience in product development, or B.S. with 8+ years of experience.
• Expert knowledge of common functional ingredients and their technical impact.
• Experience developing products from concept to commercialization.

Responsibilities

• Owns the design and execution of broad product development experiments.
• Represents the Food R&D team as a technical SME in collaborations.
• Able to analyze and present data to influence commercial initiatives.

Skills

Product development

Food technology solutions

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentorship

Education

MS or PhD in food science, meat science, or nutrition

Job description

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from real animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. In doing so, the company aims to address some of the most pressing environmental, animal welfare, and public health challenges, while still giving people the meat they love.

Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck) and to sell a cultivated meat product in the United States. The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood.

UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech and World Changing Ideas Awards, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others.

About this job:

Reporting to the Director of Product Development and Sensory, the Senior Food Scientist will primarily be responsible for owning a workstream within the food product development team, translating the commercial product roadmap into technical product projects. In this role, you will blend deep technical skills with a commercial mindset to execute and launch products against the product pipeline. The ideal candidate should be capable of designing and executing experimental plans, influenced by current research, using a combination of critical thinking and benchtop prototyping experience. Being highly organized in data collection and analysis, able to engage in cross‑functional collaborations as a technical SME, and manage multiple projects at various stages of development are all vital skills for success in this role.

Responsibilities include:

• Owns the design and execution of broad product development experiments across multiple product projects within the cultivated meat category.
• Able to independently research, identify, and test novel food technology solutions – must be able to work autonomously.
• Owns and organizes operational data over prototype lifecycle (SOPs, formulas, photos, tasting notes, analytical testing, etc.) and can identify/correct areas for improved data capture and organization across the product development team.
• Represents the Food R&D team as a technical SME within cross‑functional team collaborations to meet multiple, complex project deadlines.
• Develop relationships with external partners and suppliers and represent UPSIDE professionally within these collaborations.
• Able to analyze, summarize, and present data to the broader team with a focus on how the results will impact our commercial product initiatives.
• Acts as a technical mentor to more junior scientists on the product development team.

About you:

• MS or PhD in food science, meat science, nutrition, chemistry, or other applicable field, with 5+ years of relevant experience in product development, or B.S. with 8+ years of experience.
• Experience developing products from concept to commercialization is required; experience in meat/seafood processing, alternative proteins, and culinary arts is preferred.
• Experience managing multiple technical product projects simultaneously, acting as project lead or owner, is a must.
• Expert knowledge of common functional ingredients and their technical impact on various food systems.
• Experience working in and leading collaborations with internal and external partners (sales, marketing, comanufacturers, ingredient suppliers, etc.).
• Experience working in a commercial processing environment is preferred.
• Deep desire to learn, explore, and experiment with new technology for cell‑cultivated meat processing.
• Ability to continuously challenge assumptions and create innovative solutions.
• Great communication, report writing, presentation and interpersonal skills.
• Can‑do attitude, full of integrity, excited to work under our Big Tent.

Who you’ll work with:

• This role will partner with R&D, sensory, regulatory, commercial teams, and production to develop and commercialize cultivated meat products.
• This role will most frequently interact with our Product Development and Commercial teams.

Compensation Range

$105,000 - $135,000
Pay may vary depending on factors including job‑related knowledge and skills.

Benefits

• Stock options for all full‑time incoming team members!
• 90‑100% employer‑paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical, dental, vision).
• Pet insurance for your furry family members!
• Unlimited PTO.
• Company‑sponsored learning & development opportunities.

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company‑wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.