Senior Plant-Based Beverage Innovation Scientist

CPS Inc.; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

CPS Inc. is seeking a Sr. Food Scientist II – Innovations to lead the design, development, and commercialization of plant-based beverages. You will apply food chemistry, ingredient functionality, and processing science to deliver high-quality products with strong sensory performance and stability.

Travel about 25% to manufacturing sites, suppliers, and partners as you drive formulation strategies, scale-up, and technology transfer from concept to market launch.

Qualifications

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or related field.
• 7–10+ years of food and beverage product development experience.
• Experience in plant-based beverages or dairy alternatives.
• Knowledge of ingredient interactions affecting stability and texture.
• Experience applying Design of Experiments (DOE) and statistical modeling.
• Experience with pilot plant trials and commercial manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation development and commercialization of innovative plant-based beverages from concept through market launch.
• Translate consumer insights into differentiated products that meet sensory, nutritional, quality, regulatory, and manufacturing requirements.
• Optimize formulations for shelf-life, process robustness, ingredient compatibility, and cost efficiency.
• Drive continuous product improvement through formulation renovation, ingredient optimization, and process innovation.
• Lead pilot plant and manufacturing trials to validate formulations and support successful scale-up.

Skills

Food chemistry

Ingredient functionality

Formulation science

DOE

Statistical analysis

Rheology

Sensory analysis

Project leadership

Education

M.S. or Ph.D. in Food Science/related field

Bachelor’s degree with extensive industry experience

Tools

DOE software

Analytical instrumentation

Job description

CPS Inc. is seeking a Sr. Food Scientist II – Innovations to lead the design, development, and commercialization of plant-based beverages. You will apply food chemistry, ingredient functionality, and processing science to deliver high-quality products with strong sensory performance and stability.

Travel about 25% to manufacturing sites, suppliers, and partners as you drive formulation strategies, scale-up, and technology transfer from concept to market launch.