Sr. Research and Development Scientist

Cibo Vita; Totowa (NJ); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits

Life Insurance

401(k)

PTO

Company Paid Holidays

Career advancement and training

Job summary

Cibo Vita is seeking a Sr. Research and Development Scientist in Totowa, NJ, to advance technical platforms and conduct ingredient research for snack products. The role involves optimizing formulations, investigating stability, and collaborating with product development and commercialization teams. A Master’s degree in Food Science or a related field with 2-4 years of relevant experience is required. The position offers benefits including medical, dental, vision, and opportunities for career advancement.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or related field is required.
• 2–4+ years of experience in snack and/or confectionery R&D is necessary.
• Strong knowledge of hydrocolloids, fiber systems, and sugar reduction mechanisms required.

Responsibilities

• Support in optimizing core technology platforms for snacks.
• Conduct ingredient functionality studies to develop frameworks.
• Design and optimize formulations for snack applications.
• Investigate texture stability and shelf-life quality indicators.
• Maintain accurate formulation documentation in designated systems.

Skills

Knowledge of hydrocolloids

Snack and confectionery R&D

Experience in pilot plant environments

Understanding of fiber systems

Education

Master’s degree in Food Science or related field

Job description

Job Description

About Us: At Cibo Vita, innovation drives everything we do. Based in Totowa, NJ, we craft premium healthy snacks under the Nature’s Garden brand, combining quality ingredients with creative flavor and function. Our products are designed to support wellness, sustainability, and better snacking choices—helping consumers “Snack with Purpose.”

Job Summary

The Sr. Research and Development Scientist reports directly to the Research & Technical Development Lead and plays a critical role in advancing technical platforms, ingredient research, and process feasibility for snack and confectionery products. The role focuses on early‑stage formulation science, functionality modeling, and technical risk mitigation prior to commercialization handoff. The Senior R&D Scientist operates within the Technical & Research Team and collaborates closely with the Product Development & Commercialization Team during scale‑up and launch readiness phases.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Research & Technical Development Lead in building and optimizing core technology platforms (e.g., probiotic systems, fiber‑enriched system, sugar reduction system, hydrocolloid systems, protein‑enhanced system).
• Conduct ingredient functionality studies to understand structure‑function relationships and develop reusable technical frameworks that enable multiple pipeline products.
• Design and optimize complex formulations for snack and confectionery applications.
• Investigate texture stability, moisture migration, hydrolysis risks, glass transition behavior, and shelf‑life quality indicators.
• Conduct structured root‑cause analysis for technical performance issues and translate findings into scalable formulation strategies.
• Evaluate processing parameters (e.g., heating time, vacuum, Brix, pH, Aw) to ensure technical robustness and identify potential scalability constraints early in development.
• Support pilot‑scale validation and collaborate with commercialization teams as needed.
• Design preliminary accelerated and real‑time stability studies and establish quality benchmarks for texture, moisture, color, and API ingredients.
• Partner with Product Development during transition from research to commercialization.
• Provide technical input to embedded analytical and compliance resources and support supplier technical assessments and ingredient validation.
• Maintain accurate and complete formulation documentation in designated systems.
• Develop detailed technical reports and risk assessments for internal review.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or related field.
• 2–4+ years of experience in snack and/or confectionery and/or gummy and/or bars R&D.
• Strong knowledge of hydrocolloids, fiber systems, sugar reduction systems, and moisture control mechanisms.
• Experience in pilot plant or manufacturing scale‑up environments preferred.

What we offer

• Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits
• Life Insurance
• 401(k)
• PTO
• Company Paid Holidays
• Career advancement and training