Senior Food Scientist & End-to-End Product Developer

Willamette Valley Pie Company; Silverton (OR); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

401(k) matching

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Willamette Valley Pie Company in Silverton, OR seeks a senior Product Developer / Food Scientist to own end-to-end new product development—from concept through first commercial run and scale-up. This role blends food science with pastry craft, requiring hands-on bench work and plant-floor problem solving.

You will formulate for branded lines and private label, lead scale-up at WVPC and Dessert Holdings facilities, and travel up to 25% to partner sites in Smyrna, GA and other locations.

Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science or Food Technology required; pastry credential with commercial experience considered in lieu of degree.
• 5+ years in product development, R&D, or culinary development within commercial food manufacturing.
• Documented scale-up track record with bench to commercial transition.
• Working knowledge of bakery and dessert systems: doughs, laminated and crumb crusts, fillings, emulsions, freeze-thaw.
• Fluency with FDA labeling, allergen control, nutritional analysis, and clean-label constraints.
• Costing literacy; able to build BOM and discuss ingredient cost changes with Finance.
• Experience in GMPs, PPE, sanitation windows, HACCP; PCQI/SQF preferred.
• Valid US state driver’s license; travel up to 25%, including multi-day trips.

Responsibilities

• Own development end-to-end from concept to commercial launch.
• Lead scale-up trials at WVPC and Dessert Holdings facilities; supervise first runs.
• Formulate for private label in-store bakery to meet customer specs and pricing.
• Own BOM and costs; work with Finance to hit target margins.
• Qualify ingredients and suppliers; develop secondary sources.
• Own shelf life and food safety validation with QA and external labs.
• Ensure labeling accuracy—nutrition, ingredients, allergens.
• Define gold standard with QA: specs, photos, tolerances, and prep/bake instructions.
• Provide technical support to Production and Quality; diagnose & fix on the line.
• Escalate any food safety, allergen, or labeling risk immediately.

Skills

Scale-up track record

Bakery & dessert systems

Food safety & labeling

GMPs & HACCP

Costing / BOM

Travel readiness

Problem solving in production

Education

Food Science degree

Pastry credential (optional)

Job description

Willamette Valley Pie Company in Silverton, OR seeks a senior Product Developer / Food Scientist to own end-to-end new product development—from concept through first commercial run and scale-up. This role blends food science with pastry craft, requiring hands-on bench work and plant-floor problem solving.

You will formulate for branded lines and private label, lead scale-up at WVPC and Dessert Holdings facilities, and travel up to 25% to partner sites in Smyrna, GA and other locations.