Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: R&D Sr. Scientist
Employer: QTG Development, Inc.
Location: 617 W. Main Street, Barrington, IL 60010

Duties: Create new breakthrough grainbased products such as next generation oatmeal, ready-to-eat cold cereals/granola, and nutrition bars. Utilize internal and external resources and marketplace intelligence to bring creative and disruptive ideas for food & beverage exploration. Lead the development of innovative products via existing and emerging food and beverage technologies, including collaborating with R&D Platform Leads, Qualitative Sensory Insights, Marketing Insights, and Marketing. Develop and improve products with superior design leveraging expertise in food chemistry, food ingredient functionality and experimental design. Utilize Design Thinking and Front End Innovation frameworks to translate consumer needs and market trends into strategic product innovation initiatives launching 1-3 years from conception. Work with a cross-functional team around the globe to brainstorm product ideas, develop and formulate lab prototypes, strengthen product-concept fit, and evaluate feasibility to scale-up the prototypes via pilot plant trials. Front end innovation/trend research to develop knowledge and identify new areas of opportunity that support the companys strategic market objectives. Design and execute experiments utilizing the scientific method, and analyze and interpret data to make sound technical recommendations on product and process development. Provide technical and business risk assessment/perspectives related to new product development. Advise alternative ingredients and/or processes that would improve product quality or process efficiency. Develop product formulations that leverage expertise in food chemistry and food ingredient functionality. Leverage internal expertise such as Technology Applications and Platforms teams, as well as partner externally to source ingredients and leverage vendor expertise in ingredient functionality. Perform fundamental economic evaluations on ingredients, ingredient suppliers, and product formulations. Partner with R&D disciplines as Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Nutrition, Regulatory, to ensure a robust, safe and legal product design. Develop, plan, conduct and coordinate product development initiatives. Utilize experimental design and data interpretation tools to make technically-sound recommendations. Support production at pilot and manufacturing plants for shelf-life, stability, sales samples, and scale-ups.

Qualifications/Requirements

Job Requirements: Bachelors degree (U.S. or foreign equivalent) in Food Science or related field and three (3) years of experience in the job offered or related role OR Masters degree (U.S. or foreign equivalent) in Food Science or related field and one (1) year of experience in the job offered or related role. Must have one (1) year of experience with: developing food and beverage products in the Food & Beverage Industry, such as juice drinks, sports drinks, value added dairy drinks, juices and juice products, dairy products, snacks, including salty snacks, sweet snacks, dips and spreads, granola and cereal bars, and cookies, confections, hot cereals, pancake mixes, value-added rice products; pancake syrup, value-added pasta products and dry pasta products, and ready-to-eat cereals; product development, ingredient functionality and interactions, including: utilizing knowledge of major chemical reactions that limit shelf life of foods, the chemistry underlying the properties and reactions of various food components, and principles used to control reactions in foods; Project Management; utilizing Food Safety and Quality principles including Microbiological testing requirements, HACCP, Hazard Transfer Documents, Food Allergens, Food Safety Hazard Assessments, Good Manufacturing Practices, Food Safety Modernization Act, Ingredient and vendor approval processes, and Final Product specifications for Food Safety, Quality, and Sensory parameters; food processing trials in pilot plant and full-scale manufacturing environments; utilizing knowledge of food regulations and food labeling, such as FDA Code of Federal Regulations (CFR Title 21 Parts 58-190), and locating sources of food laws and regulations; consumer testing and sensory analysis; interpreting test results, drawing conclusions, and planning steps to optimize product acceptability and appeal; utilizing knowledge of sensory questionnaires and measurement scales such as liking, intensity, just-about-right, and agreement; and product design in a consumer products company. Must have experience with: development and processing of dairy and dairy alternative products; new product innovation from concept to execution; experimental design and product development protocols, including formulation, stability testing, sensory and consumer testing methodology; protein and carbohydrate/hydrocolloid interactions; powder applications for beverages; and experimental designs (DOE), and statistical analysis, using Minitab, JMP, and R. Travel required 25% of the time.