Senior Pet Product Development Scientist

The J.M. Smucker Co.; Orrville (OH); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

The J.M. Smucker Co. is seeking a Senior Scientist, Product Development in Orrville, OH, to translate consumer needs into technically robust pet food and snack innovations. You will lead development from concept through commercialization, collaborating across functions and guiding projects with moderate-to-high complexity.

This role emphasizes scientific rigor, data-driven decision making, and mentoring teammates, with a hybrid work arrangement and up to 30% travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related scientific or engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of relevant R&D or comparable technical experience.
• Experience leading product-development from concept to commercialization.
• Ability to design and execute experiments and analyze data.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work independently.
• Willingness to travel up to 30%.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation and product development from concept through commercialization.
• Interpret industry and Smucker challenges to improve products, processes, or services.
• Translate consumer needs into technical requirements and product models.
• Design and execute experiments from benchtop to scale; analyze data and recommend next steps.
• Apply knowledge of ingredient functionality, nutrition, sensory, shelf life, and processing.
• Solve complex problems with scientific rigor and creativity.
• Lead cross-functional teams across Operations, Quality, Marketing, Finance, Procurement, Regulatory, Packaging, and external partners.
• Mentor colleagues and serve as a technical resource.

Skills

Technical leadership

Experiment design

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher in related scientific/engineering discipline

Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD)

Tools

Formulation software

Statistical analysis

DoE (design of experiments)

Job description

The J.M. Smucker Co. is seeking a Senior Scientist, Product Development in Orrville, OH, to translate consumer needs into technically robust pet food and snack innovations. You will lead development from concept through commercialization, collaborating across functions and guiding projects with moderate-to-high complexity.

This role emphasizes scientific rigor, data-driven decision making, and mentoring teammates, with a hybrid work arrangement and up to 30% travel.