Sr. Food Scientist

ZipRecruiter; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the food industry seeks a Sr. Food Scientist to drive product development and formulation initiatives. This role involves leading projects, collaborating with teams, and ensuring effective solutions for customer needs. The ideal candidate will have strong technical expertise and a focus on innovation in food formulation.

Qualifications

• 5-8 years experience in a product development position, preferably in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of food formulation and processing technologies.
• Excellent problem-solving and organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation development and processing support for new and existing customer projects.
• Create new snack products utilizing Genesis as a formulation tool.
• Plan, execute, and summarize plant trials for internal and external customers.

Skills

Creative Thinking

Customer Focus

Problem-Solving

Project and Time Management

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor's degree in food science or another science-based field

Tools

MS Office Suite

Genesis

Job description

Sr. Food Scientist

We’re looking for a technically sound and creative Sr. Food Scientist to join our team. The Sr. Food Scientist will be responsible for formulation and processing support of new customer business across multiple plants within the Tandem Foods network. A successful candidate will lead by providing technical support both at the benchtop and plant level. This position will focus on owning new product pipeline projects and formulation initiatives with attention on building relationships with new customers and working collaboratively across all functions of the organization.

Key Responsibilities

1. Creative thinker with the ability to translate into stable product formulation
2. Create new snack products utilizing Genesis as a formulation tool
3. Present new formulation concepts to our sales team for external customer presentations
4. Lead formulation development and processing support for new and existing customer projects across multiple manufacturing sites
5. Work closely with customers to ensure product expectations are achieved
6. Interact with ingredient suppliers to onboard new raw materials and troubleshoot formulation challenges
7. Preparation and execution of all related technical and business documentation
8. Plan, execute, and summarize plant trials for internal and external customers
9. Maintain accurate documentation of formulations, test results, and project progress
10. Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Sales, Operations, and Food Safety and Quality to align technical solutions with business objectives
11. Stay abreast of new ingredient developments as well as processing and equipment advances applying them to enhance project work
12. Troubleshoot challenges in formulation and process that are mindful of safety and costs while providing timely and effective solutions
13. Participate in sensory evaluation to drive decisions that are best for our customers
14. Ability to taste and screen ingredients and finished products without dietary limitations

Key Competencies

• Creative Thinking: Thinks outside the box, contributes ideas for new product concepts with the ability to bring them to life
• Customer Focus: Understands and monitors the needs of internal and external customers
• Adaptable / Flexible: Open to change in response to new information, different or unexpected circumstances
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Ability to work in a dynamic team environment
• Self-Starter: Takes initiative in developing programs to conform with set standards, focusing on continual improvement
• Problem-Solving: Prevents and solves issues from a technical prospective, understands and mitigates problems, recognizes cause and effect relationships between functions
• Project and Time Management: Plans tasks and deliverables accurately, prioritizes tasks and adapts as needed and is responsive to requests and accountable for actions

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in food science or another science-based field
• 5-8 Years’ experience in a product development position preferably in a manufacturing environment
• Strong understanding of food formulation, ingredient functionality, and processing technologies
• Effective interpersonal and written communication skills with the ability to build relationships cross-functionally and externally
• Strong working knowledge of the food industry
• Excellent problem-solving, organizational and prioritization skills
• Experience with formulating protein bars, baked products and / or confections
• Proficient in MS Office suite including Excel and PowerPoint
• Working knowledge of Genesis
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements (FDA, etc.)
• Willingness to travel to manufacturing sites and customer locations as needed

Work Environment

• This role works in both office and manufacturing floor environments
• Evening and weekend work may be required on an as needed basis

Company Description: We're excited to announce that TruFood Manufacturing and Bar Bakers have united as Tandem Foods! This milestone marks the evolution of two trusted names in better-for-you snacks into an industry-leading partnership. Our new brand, symbolized by the tandem bicycle, represents our commitment to collaboration and shared success with our valued customers. With eight manufacturing facilities nationwide and expanded capabilities in bars, chocolate molding, cookies, wafers, and granola, we're better positioned than ever to serve the growing better-for-you snack market. "Powered by Collaboration" isn't just our tagline—it's our promise to continue delivering exceptional results through innovation, trust, and partnership.