Senior R&D Food Scientist

The Senior R&D Food Scientist will lead the development, optimization, and commercialization of fresh and cooked sausage products across multiple platforms (pork, beef, poultry, blended proteins). This role is responsible for driving innovation while ensuring product quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, and cost targets are met. The position requires deep technical expertise in meat science, emulsified systems, seasoning functionality, and thermal processing, along with strong cross-functional leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Innovation

• Lead formulation and development of fresh, smoked, cooked, and fermented sausage products

• Develop clean-label, reduced sodium, reduced fat, and cost-optimized formulations

• Translate consumer insights and market trends into viable product concepts

• Optimize texture, flavor, yield, shelf life, and appearance

• Evaluate ingredients including proteins, binders, phosphates, cultures, and spice systems

Process & Scale-Up

• Lead bench, pilot, and plant-scale trials

• Partner with Operations and Engineering to optimize grinding, mixing, stuffing, smoking, and cooking processes

• Support commercialization and first production runs

• Troubleshoot quality and process issues in manufacturing plants

Regulatory, Quality & Food Safety

• Ensure compliance with USDA-FSIS regulations, labeling requirements, and specifications

• Support HACCP, GMPs, and food safety initiatives

• Create and maintain product specifications and technical documentation

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with Marketing, Sales, Supply Chain, QA, and Operations

• Mentor junior R&D scientists and technicians

• Manage external vendors including spice houses, ingredient suppliers, and co-manufacturers

Cost & Business Impact

• Lead cost-reduction and value-engineering initiatives

• Evaluate alternative ingredients and suppliers

• Support margin improvement and continuous improvement programs