Senior Food Scientist

Tyson Foods; Springdale (AR); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

401(k) plans

Health, life, dental, vision insurance

Prescription drug benefits

Job summary

Tyson Foods is seeking a Senior Food Scientist I/II for its United States operations. The role covers development through commercialization, including specifying products, ensuring labeling compliance and food safety, and leading cook validations across facilities.

Responsibilities include cross-functional collaboration with marketing, FSQA, and operations; developing prototypes, optimizing products, and preparing cost analyses.

Qualifications

• BS, MS or PhD in Food Science, Meat Science, Food Engineering or related field.
• PhD with minimum of 2 years relevant experience; MS with minimum of 3 years; BS with minimum of 5 years (no degree with 10+ years).
• Requires good computer skills with MS Office and Tyson systems.
• Good verbal and written communication skills; ability to present to cross-functional partners.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with marketing, insights, sales, culinary, FSQA, operations and purchasing to ensure smooth startup for new product production processes.
• Modify or optimize existing products and compile cost analyses for labeling.
• Plan, execute, and report experiments from concept to commercialization; lead cook validations.
• Travel to plant production facilities and work across cross-functional teams to meet growth and EBIT targets.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Project management

Communication skills

Team collaboration

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Food Science or related

8+ years R&D experience (II) or 15+ years (II, with no degree)

Tools

MS Office

Tyson systems

Job description

Job Details

Applying to this requisition will put you into consideration for Senior Food Scientist I or Senior Food Scientist II – Level will be determined through the interview process.

Summary

The Senior Food Scientist is responsible for developing and commercializing new and improved products and/or processes through guidance from their manager. This covers all stages of product development and process development including writing new product specifications, and ensuring regulatory labeling and food safety requirements are met. Additional responsibilities include developing samples/prototypes of new products, modifying existing products, optimizing existing products, developing specifications for product production labeling, and compiling cost analysis information. The person in this position will have a strong working knowledge of the scientific methods and is expected to leverage knowledge related to ingredients, product formulation and food processing to support best in class development of new, innovative food products. In addition, the person in this role will lead and execute cook validations for products in support of commercialization workstreams. This will include planning, conducting, documenting, and communicating cook validation studies across products, production lines, and fryer platforms to verify food safety, enable optimized cooking procedures, and support consistent restaurant quality.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Working with and strongly influencing marketing, insights, sales, culinary, FSQA, operations and purchasing departments, coordinating with suppliers of ingredients, ensuring smooth start‑up for new product production processes
• Modifying or optimizing existing products, developing specifications for product production labeling, and compiling cost analysis information.
• Work multiple development and optimization projects of moderate complexity, independently, from concept through commercialization with guidance from manager. This includes planning, executing experiments, analyzing data, reporting results.
• Execute the development process with activities that include bench top development, pilot plant testing, and scale‑up production at a federally inspected research facility and final commercialization at full scale production facility.
• Strong working knowledge of the following is a plus: poultry new product development and optimization including battered and breaded products
• Help team to identify innovation that is treated as IP that can give Tyson a competitive edge in the industry
• Analyze data to build product specifications that are process capable
• Present technical data or concepts to laypersons on their level of understanding
• Compile cost analysis information and provide to product management
• Ensure costing structure meets the financial expectations of projects
• Work on cross functional teams across the organization for project completion that will ultimately help achieve our growth and EBIT strategies
• Travel to plant production facilities
• Take on and complete special projects as needed.
• Develop culinary samples/prototypes of new products, modifying existing products, optimizing existing products, developing specifications
• Develop product production labels and compile cost analysis information
• Strong working knowledge of the scientific methods and is expected to leverage knowledge related to ingredients, product formulation and food processing to support best in class development of new, innovative food products
• Work with and influence cross functional team members (marketing, insights, sales, culinary, FSQA, operations and purchasing departments, coordinating with suppliers of ingredients) while ensuring smooth start‑up for new product production processes
• Work with process development to develop process flow charts for engineering
• Ability and initiative to grow within the organization and develop a personal development plan with your manager

Requirements

• Senior Food Scientist II – Education & Experience: BS, MS or PhD in Food Science, Meat Science, Food Engineering or related field. Related degree with minimum of 8 years relevant Research & Development work experience. No degree with minimum of 15 years relevant experience.
• Senior Food Scientist I – Education & Experience: BS, MS or PhD in Food Science, Meat Science, Food Engineering or related field. PhD with minimum of 2 years of relevant experience, M.S. with minimum of 3 years of relevant experience, B.S. with minimum of 5 years of relevant experience. No degree with minimum of 10 years relevant experience.
• Computer Skills: Requires good computer skills with ability to fully utilize MS Office products and Tyson systems (or like systems).
• Communication Skills: Good verbal and written communication skills required, presentation skills required, must have the ability to effectively communicate with cross functional business partners.
• Special Skills: Strong critical thinking, analytical and problem‑solving skills, strong project management skills, strong numerical skills, understanding of product formulation, food processing and the Research and Development process, understanding of regulatory labeling and food safety requirements.
• Supervisory: May supervise a team of hourly technicians that support a team of scientists.
• Travel: 25–50%.
• Position Specific Requirements: Must reside in the United States to be considered. Sponsorship is not available for this position.
• Relocation Assistance Eligible: Yes
• Work Shift: 1ST SHIFT (United States of America)
• Background Checks: Certain roles at Tyson require background checks. If you are offered a position that requires a background check you will be provided additional documentation to complete once an offer has been extended.
• The successful candidate(s) must be willing and able to perform the physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Benefits

• We provide our team members and their families with paid time off; 401(k) plans; affordable health, life, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; and more.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Tyson is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, national origin, color, religion, age, genetics, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or veteran status.

Tyson Foods, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Culture

Our team members make the difference. If you are ready to grow your career with an industry leader and want to positively impact the team and community around you, then join us in helping us in raising expectations. Join us on the journey. At Tyson, we feed the world like family. Our Talent Strategy is to Attract, Grow, Reward and Retain the best talent, and we believe that our Culture is the connecting thread that drives that strategy! We strive to be a talent magnet to establish a reputation for being a talent rich organization where team members are rewarded (Pay, Benefits and Recognition) for their contributions, and given the opportunity to support and/or volunteer with programs that help Tyson make a lasting social impact in the communities where we live and work. To learn more about our culture, please read Our Purpose.

Contact

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