Senior Scientist

TH Foods, Inc.; Harlem Township (IL); Vor Ort; USD 95.000 - 116.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

TH Foods, Inc. in Loves Park, IL is seeking a Senior Scientist to lead innovation and development of branded and private label products.

You will guide projects from concept to commercialization, create new formulations, and optimize existing products for quality and cost in pilot and plant settings. The role requires strong cross-functional teamwork with Operations, Quality, Marketing, Sales and FSQA, and may involve off-shift plant work.

Qualifikationen

• 10+ years in food product development, R&D or related roles.
• Experience with baked and/or fried products preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or Food Engineering required; Master’s preferred.

Aufgaben

• Lead strategic initiatives in the innovation pipeline for new product development.
• Develop formulations and prototypes meeting customer, consumer and business needs.
• Drive product optimization including reformulations for quality, function and cost.
• Deliver technical presentations and trend insights to teams and customers.
• Document experimental data and provide robust technical recommendations.
• Manage projects from ideation to commercialization with minimal supervision.
• Collaborate with Operations, Quality and Process Engineering to troubleshoot.
• Partner with Marketing, Sales, Engineering, FSQA and Procurement to ensure execution.
• Conduct plant trials, scale-ups and startups; may require off-shift hours.

Kenntnisse

Project leadership

Cross-functional teamwork

Technical presentation

Quality improvement

Food safety

Scale-up

Ausbildung

Bachelor in Food Science/Engineering

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Pilot plant equipment

Analytical instruments

Jobbeschreibung

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Senior Scientist

Loves Park, IL, US

2 days ago Requisition ID: 1604

Salary: $105,000.00 Annually

Position Summary

The R&D Senior Scientist plays a key role in driving innovation, product development, and continuous improvement for branded and private label products. This position is responsible for leading technical projects from concept through commercialization, developing new formulations, optimizing existing products, and supporting cost and quality initiatives. The Senior Scientist provides technical expertise, manages customer relationships, and ensures successful execution of development projects aligned with business objectives. In addition, this individual will lead key strategic initiatives within the innovation pipeline to develop and commercialize new product development projects that support long-term growth.

Other duties may be assigned.

• Lead key strategic initiatives within the innovation pipeline to develop and commercialize new product development projects.
• Develop new product formulations and prototypes that meet customer, consumer, and business expectations.
• Lead product optimization efforts, including reformulations for quality, functionality, and cost improvement.
• Prepare and deliver technical presentations and trend insights to internal teams and external customers.
• Observe, evaluate, and concisely and accurately document experimental data and results, leading to robust technical recommendations
• Independently manage projects from ideation through commercialization with minimal supervision.
• Manage multiple priorities at a given time and engage with Manager and cross functional team to effectively communicate risks and tradeoffs.
• Collaborate with Operations, Quality, and Process Engineering staff to troubleshoot, problem-solve, and recommend solutions.
• Provide strong cross-functional partnership with Marketing, Sales, Engineering, Project Management, FSQA, and Procurement teams to ensure efficient and successful project execution.
• Execute plant trials, scale-ups, and new product startups; may require off-shift or extended hours.

Technical Expertise & Support

• Develop new product formulations on a bench/pilot scale and effectively scale up to commercial plant scale and provide technical validation.
• Review and approve specifications for raw materials, packaging, finished products, and manufacturing processes.
• Design, conduct, and analyze shelf-life studies to validate product and packaging performance.
• Provide timely and effective technical solutions to internal and external partners.

Operational & Compliance Responsibilities

• Work hands-on in pilot plant and production environments to support development, testing, and troubleshooting.
• Ensure adherence to food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
• Identify, communicate, and help resolve food safety and employee safety concerns.
• Product development and formulation capability; deliver results across all phases of product development project cycle from concept development to commercial execution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including technical presentation capability.
• Technology understanding in both ingredient and process technology and ability to apply to product development
• Ability to prioritize workload and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Customer-focused mindset with ability to partner professionally at all organizational levels.
• Comfortable working in a fást-paced environment with shifting priorities.
• Proficiency in standard office software (e.g., Microsoft Office).
• Flexibility to work off-shift hours when needed to support plant activities.

Required Qualifications

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or Food Engineering required; Master’s degree preferred. Bachelor’s degree in a related field with relevant experience will be considered.
• 10+ years of food industry experience in product development, R&D, or related technical roles.
• Experience with baked and/or fried product categories strongly preferred.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This position has no direct supervisory responsibilities.

Travel

Up to 15% travel required

Physical Ability

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear.

Work will be performed in a combination of areas including open office environment, pilot plant, and plant. This may include hot, humid, dusty conditions.

The Anticipated Compensation for this role is 105,000/Year base salary with Bonus potential. Salary can be adjusted based on candidate experience.