Senior Meat Product Development Lead

SMC Holding Company LLC; Minnesota; On-site; USD 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel up to 30%

Job summary

Standard Meat Company is seeking a Senior Research & Development Specialist to lead complex product development initiatives from concept to commercialization readiness. You will serve as a technical resource in meat science, formulation, and process optimization, working with Culinary, Commercialization, Operations, and customers.

The role requires advanced knowledge of meat science, strong analytical skills, and the ability to manage trials and documentation across cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Animal Science, Poultry Science, Biochemistry, or related field required; Master's degree preferred.
• Minimum five years of progressive experience in food product development, meat science, or a related technical role.
• Experience independently leading complex product development projects from formulation through commercialization readiness.
• Experience supporting plant trials, manufacturing scale-up, and commercialization activities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical execution of complex product development projects from concept through commercialization readiness.
• Develop and optimize product formulations balancing customer expectations, quality, manufacturability, regulatory compliance, and business objectives.
• Plan, coordinate, and execute benchtop trials, pilot studies, plant trials, and product validations.
• Evaluate processes, product performance, and data to identify opportunities for improvement, yield, and cost reduction.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve technical challenges and support development initiatives.
• Present technical findings and recommendations to customers and leadership.
• Maintain project documentation and product development databases.

Skills

Meat & poultry science

Product development

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical skills

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Animal Science, Poultry Science, Biochemistry, or related field

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Product development systems

AI-assisted tools

Job description

Standard Meat Company is seeking a Senior Research & Development Specialist to lead complex product development initiatives from concept to commercialization readiness. You will serve as a technical resource in meat science, formulation, and process optimization, working with Culinary, Commercialization, Operations, and customers.

The role requires advanced knowledge of meat science, strong analytical skills, and the ability to manage trials and documentation across cross-functional teams.