Sr. Food Scientist

Utz Brands, Inc.; Hanover (York County); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Utz Brands, Inc. is seeking a Sr. Food Scientist to lead all aspects of new product development from concept to commercialization. You will collaborate with manufacturing, procurement, packaging, sales, commercialization, consumer insights, and marketing to drive value creation and ongoing brand maintenance.

The role is based at Utz's headquarters in Hanover, PA, with travel to various facilities as needed. A strong background in food science and cross‑functional teamwork is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, chemistry, or chemical engineering.
• 3–5 years of experience in food product development in snacks.
• Exposure to cross‑functional teamwork with manufacturing, procurement, or marketing.
• Familiarity with laboratory techniques and Good Laboratory Practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead all aspects of new product development from concept to commercialization.
• Support value creation and ongoing brand maintenance.
• Collaborate with manufacturing, procurement, packaging, sales, commercialization, consumer insights, and marketing.
• Design, develop, and review experiments to deliver new products.
• Perform plant trials, scale‑up, and data analysis to ensure success.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Communication

Self‑direction

Design of experiments

Data analysis

Time management

Cross‑functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in food science/chemistry/chemical engineering

Job description

At Utz, we’re not just making snacks—we’re creating moments of joy for millions of consumers every day. With over a century of heritage and a powerhouse portfolio that includes Utz, Zapp’s, Boulder Canyon, and On The Border, we’re on a bold journey to become the fastest-growing pure-play U.S. snacking company of scale.

This is your opportunity to shape the future of snacking at a growing, iconic company. You won’t just support innovation—you’ll lead it, working on products that hit shelves and land in the hands of consumers nationwide.

You’ll gain exposure across the business, build deep technical expertise, and grow your career in an environment that values curiosity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

The Opportunity: Sr. Food Scientist

The Sr Food Scientist will be responsible for leading all aspects of new product development from concept to commercialization, along with supporting value creation and ongoing brand maintenance. This individual will work closely with several cross-functional groups including manufacturing, procurement, packaging, sales, commercialization, consumer insights, and marketing.

• This position is based at our headquarters location in Hanover, PA. Travel required for the role to various facilities as needed.

What You’ll Own

• Designs, develops, conducts and/or reviews experiments (e.g., laboratory or process experiments) to deliver new products, support value creation driven projects and ongoing brand maintenance.
• Evaluates ingredient and product efficacy, claims, and safety.
• Evaluates new ingredients, materials, products and/or processes.
• Successfully applies scientific, engineering and consumer insights principles in research, formulation, processing, and commercialization of snacks.
• Identifies, evaluates, and selects new ingredients, developments, trends and technologies in the food and beverage industry to guide product development initiatives.
• Runs pilot scale equipment with knowledge of various plant unit operations and processes.
• Performs plant trials from initial planning through execution and scale-up.
• Analyzes ingredients, finished products or other substances using laboratory instruments. This includes preparation of analytical standards and standard curves.
• Uses and applies knowledge of Good Laboratory Practices (e.g., handling of chemicals and glassware, preparation of standards and reagents, proper measuring techniques, data management, housekeeping).
• Develops, maintains and/or validates laboratory test methods or equipment (sampling, monitoring, analytical procedures) to ensure reliability and accuracy of analytical results.
• Writes detailed and accurate reports for analyses, experiments, and projects.
• Responsible for quality and food safety tasks for their position.
• Scouts new technologies, processes and partners to help drive the business, meeting new consumer and business needs

What You’ll Bring

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree: A bachelor’s degree in food science, chemistry, chemical engineering is preferred, or equivalent combination of education

Experience

• 3-5 years of experience in food product development in snacks; would consider Internship or laboratory experience in food science, chemistry, or a related field, demonstrating hands‑on skills in product development or research.
• Exposure to cross‑functional teamwork, such as collaborating with manufacturing, procurement, or marketing teams on academic or extracurricular projects.
• Familiarity with laboratory techniques, Good Laboratory Practices, and basic data analysis, gained through coursework or practical training.

Skills

• Demonstrated leadership and team building competencies.
• Project management and complex problem‑solving abilities.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, and people management skills.
• Able to be self‑directed, forward thinking and make complex decisions that drive business innovation and performance.
• Deep ability to exercise design of experiments, critical thinking, and problem‑solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills.
• Comfort with presenting findings/data to senior leadership.
• Excellent time and project management skills with proven ability to manage and prioritize multiple, concurrent projects.

External Recruitment Process

• Easy Application (5 mins): Introduce yourself and answer a few key questions to get started.
• Engaging Chat Interview (20-25 mins): Share your experiences in an online chat, highlighting how your values align with ours.
• Live Interview: Selected candidates will meet with the hiring manager to explore their alignment with the team and overall Utz company culture.

Why Utz?

Benefits

We’re proud to offer a supportive, inclusive environment where associates can grow their careers and live their healthiest lives. Our benefits include:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
• Employer‑match 401(k) and profit‑sharing
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Career development programs and more

Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.