Senior Food Scientist

CookUnity; California, New York, Los Angeles (MO, NY, CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative company is seeking a Senior Food Scientist to join their Food Safety and Quality Assurance team. This role is crucial for ensuring that food production meets safety and quality standards while developing new products that resonate with consumer preferences. You will leverage your extensive experience in food science to enhance product differentiation and compliance with regulations. Join a forward-thinking organization that is committed to transforming the food industry and empowering chefs to nourish the world. If you are passionate about food safety and quality, this is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact.

Benefits

Stock Options Plan

Bi-annual performance bonus

Paid family leave

Compassionate leave

CookUnity meal credits

Wellness perks

5-year sabbatical

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in food product development.
• Proven track record in testing methodologies and sensory evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for food labeling.
• Research and implement new food technologies and process improvements.
• Lead human taste panels to evaluate food products.

Skills

Food Safety Regulations

Product Development

Sensory Evaluation

Project Management

Problem Solving

Communication Skills

Education

Bachelor's in Food Science

Job description

About CookUnity

Food has lost its soul to modern convenience. And with it, has lost the power to nourish, inspire, and connect us. So in 2018, CookUnity was founded as the first-of-its-kind platform that connects the world with the source of truly great food: chefs. Today, CookUnity delivers 35 million meals a year from the industry’s best chefs to homes all over the country. Fresh. Ready-to-eat. And crafted with the passion that nourishes body and soul.

Unwilling to stop there, CookUnity is expanding beyond delivery to become an ever-innovating marketplace focused on our singular mission: empower Chefs to nourish the world.

If that mission has you hungry in more ways than one, you’ve found the right job posting.

The Role

While believing that healthy food fuels stronger communities, we are looking for an energetic and innovative Senior Food Scientist within our Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) team. The FSQA team plays a key role in our kitchens, responsible for monitoring and verifying that food production adheres to regulatory, safety and quality standards. The FS will develop, improve, and ensure the safety and quality of RTE products by utilizing scientific principles to study food composition and optimize processing methods. Their duties also include ensuring compliance with claims, food labeling regulations and FDA/USDA standards.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements related to labeling, certifications and claims to comply with existing and new regulatory requirements.
• Research and implement new food technologies, emerging ingredients, and process improvements to enhance product differentiation.
• Act with urgency to address consumer requests, feedback and quality concerns through product and process enhancements and modifications.
• Develop standards and specifications for food production, testing, shelf life studies, sanitation, and waste management.
• Maintain high standards for the company’s food safety and handling practices, constantly seeking ways to improve processes with scalable solutions
• Stay up to date on current local and national guidelines that will inform training and operating protocols, business impact and leadership awareness.
• Coordinate inspections with local authorities and achieve high ratings from the health department.
• Lead human taste panels to evaluate the flavor, texture, and appearance of food products involving information about consumer preferences and attitudes toward food products to inform product development and marketing strategies.
• Creating guidelines for new products or modifying existing ones to meet consumer preferences and market trends such as clean label, reduced sugar, plant-based, or allergen-free requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in food science (chemistry/microbiology/processing), or related field.
• Proven track record of successful product development and commercialization.
• 10+ years of experience in food product development with demonstrated expertise in testing methodologies, sensory evaluation, and shelf-life analysis.
• In-depth knowledge of food safety regulations and quality assurance practices.
• Excellent project management abilities. Adept at problem-solving and analytics.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Preferred: Experience in culinary, food preparation, meat/protein processing, ready-to-eat foods, refrigerated foods, ready-to-heat foods.
• Nice to have: Bilingual (Spanish)
• PTO policy and paid sick days
• We grow, you grow: Stock Options Plan granted on Day 1.
• Eligible for bi-annual performance bonus
• Family leave fully paid
• Compassionate Leave: 3-5 days each time the need arises
• A generous amount of CookUnity credits to enjoy our amazing meals, added to your account, monthly
• ️ Wellness perks: access to a nutritional coach and fitness subsidies to build a healthy lifestyle
• Awesome opportunity to join a company that is looking to change how we eat and how chefs work!

️5- year Sabbatical: After 5 years with CookUnity, you get a 4-week paid sabbatical

#ENG1P

Compensation

All final pay rates will be determined by candidates experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.

Compensation

All final pay rates will be determined by candidates experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.

Pay Range for this position

$100,000 - $130,000 USD

If you’re interested in this role, please submit your application and if we think you might be a fit, we'll get in touch with you. Thank you for your time!

CookUnity is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are dedicated to creating a community of inclusion and an environment free from discrimination or harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship status, protected veteran status, genetic information, or physical or mental disability.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

First Name *

Last Name *

Email *

Phone

Resume/CV *

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Enter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

LinkedIn Profile *

Location: *

We are looking for people based in Los Angeles or New York. Are you willing to commute to Los Angeles, CA 90021 or Brooklyn, NY 11206? * Select...

Do you have a Bachelor's degree in Food Science (with a focus in Chemistry, Microbiology, Processing), or in a closely related field? If yes, please specify your degree and area of study. *

Do you have 10+ years of experience in food product development with demonstrated expertise in testing methodologies, sensory evaluation, and shelf-life analysis? * Select...

Are you currently authorized to work lawfully in the United States? * Select...

Will you now or in the future require employment-based visa sponsorship to work lawfully in the United States? * Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in CookUnity’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305

Page 1 of 1

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 04/30/2026

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026
Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp .

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

• Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
• Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
• Blind or low vision
• Cancer (past or present)
• Cardiovascular or heart disease
• Celiac disease
• Cerebral palsy
• Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
• Diabetes
• Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
• Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
• Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
• Intellectual or developmental disability
• Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
• Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
• Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
• Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
• Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
• Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
• Short stature (dwarfism)
• Traumatic brain injury

Disability Status Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.