Senior Food Scientist - Formulation

Kelly Services; Fort Mill (SC); On-site; USD 86,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

PTO

401(k)

Job summary

Kelly Services in Fort Mill, SC is seeking a Senior Food Scientist to lead bench-top formulation and hands-on product development for customer-driven projects. You will develop and optimize seasoning blends and dry formulations, translating concepts into scalable, manufacturable products.

The role requires 7+ years in food formulation, strong taste evaluation skills, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to manage multiple projects while delivering timely results.

Qualifications

• Approximately 7+ years of food product development/formulation experience, flexibility for ~5 years exceptional experience considered.
• Strong hands-on experience with spices, seasonings, and dry blending.
• Experience performing bench-scale formulation and product development.
• Experience working with customer-driven product development projects.
• Strong understanding of food ingredients and their functionality.
• Ability to taste and evaluate food products and flavor profiles.
• Ability to independently manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on bench-top formulation and product development for customer-driven projects.
• Develop and optimize seasonings, spice blends, dry blends, and related food formulations.
• Translate customer concepts and requirements into practical, manufacturable formulations.
• Conduct ingredient evaluation, formulation trials, testing, and product optimization.
• Work with internal teams to troubleshoot formulation and product performance issues.
• Support the development and commercialization of new and reformulated products.
• Evaluate products for flavor, texture, functionality, consistency, and cost.
• Document formulations, testing results, technical findings, and product specifications.
• Collaborate with R&D, Quality, Operations, Sales, and other cross-functional teams.
• Provide technical input and recommendations to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Manage multiple customer-driven projects while meeting timelines and priorities.
• Stay current on ingredients, food industry trends, and formulation opportunities.
• Support occasional customer visits, industry conferences, and other technical activities.

Job description

Senior Food Scientist

Location: Fort Mill, SC
Employment Type: Direct Hire / Full-Time
Salary: Up to $95,000 annually, based on experience
Bonus: Potential 7–10% annual bonus
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO, 401(k)
Schedule: Full-Time, Day Shift
Travel: Occasional travel, including customer visits, industry conferences, and potentially company sites

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Senior Food Scientist to join the R&D team of an established food ingredients and product development organization in Fort Mill, SC.

This is a highly hands‑on opportunity for a food scientist with strong experience in spices, seasonings, dry blending, and formulation. The successful candidate will play a key role in developing and refining customer-driven food formulations, performing bench work, and helping bring concepts from the laboratory into commercial production.

This position is opening due to the planned retirement of a long‑standing team member who will remain with the organization in a limited consulting capacity, providing an excellent opportunity for knowledge transfer.

What You’ll Do

• Lead hands‑on bench‑top formulation and product development for customer‑driven projects.

• Develop and optimize seasonings, spice blends, dry blends, and related food formulations.

• Translate customer concepts and requirements into practical, manufacturable formulations.

• Conduct ingredient evaluation, formulation trials, testing, and product optimization.

• Work with internal teams to troubleshoot formulation and product performance issues.

• Support the development and commercialization of new and reformulated products.

• Evaluate products for flavor, texture, functionality, consistency, and cost.

• Document formulations, testing results, technical findings, and product specifications.

• Collaborate with R&D, Quality, Operations, Sales, and other cross‑functional teams.

• Provide technical input and recommendations to customers and internal stakeholders.

• Manage multiple customer‑driven projects while meeting timelines and priorities.

• Stay current on ingredients, food industry trends, and formulation opportunities.

• Support occasional customer visits, industry conferences, and other technical activities.

What We’re Looking For

The ideal candidate is a hands‑on food formulator who can step into the lab and begin developing products with minimal ramp‑up.

Required:

• Approximately 7+ years of food product development/formulation experience; candidates with ~5 years of exceptional, directly relevant formulation experience may be considered.

• Strong hands‑on experience with spices, seasonings, and dry blending.

• Experience performing bench‑scale formulation and product development.

• Experience working with customer‑driven product development projects.

• Strong understanding of food ingredients and their functionality.

• Ability to taste and evaluate food products and flavor profiles.

• Ability to independently manage multiple projects and priorities.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to work effectively with cross‑functional teams.

Preferred:

• Experience with batters, breaders, bakery products, sauces, meat systems, or other food ingredient systems.

• Experience taking formulations from bench development through pilot or commercial production.

• Experience with commercialization, scale‑up, or manufacturing troubleshooting.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related discipline.

What Makes This Opportunity Different

This is an opportunity for a scientist who genuinely enjoys formulation and hands‑on product development. The majority of the work is customer‑driven, so you’ll have the opportunity to solve real formulation challenges and develop products based on specific customer needs.

You’ll join a small, collaborative R&D team where your technical expertise will have a visible impact. The team is also growing, providing opportunities to take on additional responsibility and contribute to the development of the R&D organization.

The company is particularly interested in someone who can hit the ground running with bench formulation and dry blending, while providing some flexibility to expand into additional product categories over time.