R&D Food Scientist - USDA at The Planet Group

Job Title: R&D Food Scientist
Position Location: San Bernardino, CA
Job Description
The R&D Food Scientist plays a vital role in the ongoing growth and success of Our Client You will primarily be responsible for developing exciting new flavors and formats for our award-winning meat snacks portfolio, while also playing a key role in our operational efficiencies, our regulatory compliance, and our consumer’s experience of with our products. In this role, you will partner closely with senior Supply Chain and Operations leadership, as well as work closely with Marketing in developing and trialing new product innovation.
The position will report to the VP of Operations and is an in-person position primarily based in our San Bernardino, CA manufacturing facility, although the candidate will be expected to travel to our downtown Los Angeles headquarters and other manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. from time to time.
Our Client offers a generous time off package and holistic healthcare insurance options; including 100% employer paid medical, dental and vision insurance for the individual employee. Our company is in rapid growth, and we have a high energy, fast-paced and welcoming work culture in which everyone “rolls up their sleeves” and partners closely together to continue to propel the company’s success. You will succeed in this position if you are 1) a high energy, self-starter with a drive towards improvement and growth, 2) a strong written and oral communicator, 3) a hands-on coach who fosters learning with a goal towards creating autonomy and empowerment, 4) comfortable engaging across multiple functions and levels (up and down) across the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide governance and oversight for our products (e.g. formulation, sensory, and compliance)
  • Routinely perform benchtop work on current and new products and formulations to maintain product consistency while driving operational efficiencies.
  • Develop SOPs in conjunction with quality and operations to ensure product consistently meets sensory “gold standards” and product specifications.
  • Evaluate opportunities for processing improvements by researching new technologies, equipment, work processes and/or formula changes to improve our “gold standard” products and drive operational efficiencies.
  • Own and maintain all Bills of Materials (BOMs) and work in conjunction with operation, quality, and accounting to ensure BOMs are correctly reflected in systems and work processes.
• Routinely monitor production runs at facilities to identify areas of improvement on the raw processing, cook, and finished pack-out of our products
• Carry out project experiments including bench-top, pilot plant and production plant trials.
  • Run Design of Experiments (DOE), including bench-top, pilot, and production plant trials. Routinely collect, process and analyze data using software and interpret and summarize results for senior management.
  • Organize and execute routine product performance and analytical evaluations; and document/present results.
• Provide R&D oversight on commercialization and innovation projects working with Marketing, Supply Chain and Operations. Own the product design, feasibility, and trial runs / performance for projects.
• Participate in plant scale-up runs, ensuring product meets necessary specifications while running efficiently in the facility.
• Identify and validate new ingredients in partnership with Procurement: requesting samples, evaluating key information (e.g. specifications, quality) and conducting tests to validate and approve.
• Conduct research to substantiate potential product claims and labeling requirements, working in conjunction with marketing, legal counsel, and regulatory bodies.
• Generate / validate nutritional facts, ingredient statements, and allergen statements.
• Coordinate and provide required documentation support for internal and external stakeholders, including product specifications and key analyses as required.

Other Pertinent Job Details

• Key systems:  Genesis, NetSuite, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Teams & SharePoint
• This role will have occasional travel to our HQ and manufacturing / partner facilities.
• When in Manufacturing environment:
  • All State and Federal food manufacturing laws, food safety requirements, good manufacturing practices (GMPs) and other standard industry manufacturing practices must be adhered to at all times.
  • All USDA organic processor practices must be adhered to at all times.

Qualifications and Requirements
Education / Certification Requirements

• Required: Bachelor’s degree in food science or similar technical degree

Work Experience and Other Requirements

• Must be able to commute daily to Los Angeles / San Bernardino offices.
• 3 – 5 years of experience within R&D and/or Food Science, ideally in a USDA meat manufacturing environment, including but not limited to document control, benchtop work, product development, and product sensory work.
• Advanced statistical modeling capabilities in Excel
• Familiarity with Genesis or other comparable nutritional analysis systems

Must-Have Skills & Capabilities:

• Ability to design, conduct and summarize scientific experiments and use statistical analyses to determine best possible recommendations.
• High energy coupled with a strong drive towards continuous improvement.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with internal/external partners with proven project management skills and the ability to influence without authority.
• Strong communication skills (oral and written). Additionally, the confidence and comfort to communicate with senior and executive management on a daily basis, and provide report outs on all necessary monthly, quarterly, and compliance paperwork and activities.