Senior Food Scientist Mary Ann's Baking Co. - 2.8 Sacramento, CA Job Details Full-time $95,000 - $115,000 a year 18 hours ago Qualifications Bakery experience ERP systems Project management experience in manufacturing Sensory evaluation Bachelor's degree Food & beverage production Experience in a research and development laboratory environment Research & development Manufacturing company experience Full Job Description The Senior Food Scientist is a creative self-motivated leader responsible for product innovation and packaging management for Mary Ann's Baking Company. This person can develop high-quality, commercially viable baked goods—specifically focusing on donuts, muffins, and Danish pastries. This individual will lead projects and interact primarily with sales, operations, and QA to accomplish goals. Role and Responsibilities Process & Project Management Under the direction of the R D Director, work within a small R D team to turn customer requests into new foods, sample analysis, provide formula documentation, and arrange for sample shipments. Assist the R D Director with the "Innovation Pipeline," ensuring all new product development (NPD) projects move from concept to commercialization on schedule and within budget. Work with cross-functional team members to develop process, packaging and product specifications, and to create Product Standards and cost files. Request, lead, and supervise production line trials to ensure that equipment can produce experimental products at scale. New Product Development (NPD):

Donuts, Muffins & Danishes Donuts:

Develop and optimize formulas, focusing on shelf-life stability, glaze adhesion, and moisture retention.

Muffins:

Innovate "high-inclusion" muffin recipes (fruits, chocolates) ensuring proper crumb structure and shelf-life stability.

Danishes:

Master laminated dough processes to create flaky, buttery Danish pastries with various fillings that maintain integrity through high-speed automated packaging. Perform sensory evaluations and shelf-life testing to validate that new products meet Mary Ann's "Gold Standard" for quality.

Cost Management & Efficiency Initiatives Formula Costs:

Obtain and test new ingredients, develop and test lower cost ingredients and formulas.

Packaging:

Obtain and test alternate packages that provide product protection, consumer aesthetics, and production efficiencies.

Waste Reduction:

Optimize formulas to improve yield and reduce "giveaway," directly supporting the plant's overall continuous improvement goals. Process Scaling & Commercialization Lead "Bench-to-Plant" trials, working alongside Team Leaders and Production Specialists to troubleshoot how experimental foods run on high-speed production equipment. Document process information such as batter/dough temperatures, mix times, proofing times and temperatures, and bake profiles. Use the data to write standard operating procedures (SOPs) and create product standards. Assist with the creation of nutritional labeling (Genesis R D software) and ensure all new products are FDA and California-compliant (as needed).

Education:

Bachelor's degree in food science, Cereal Science, or Chemical Engineering. A master's degree or professional baking certification (AIB) is a plus.

Experience:

• 5+ years in R D within a commercial bakery environment. oProven experience specifically in yeast-raised doughs, chemically leavened batters, and laminated pastries. o1-2 years of experience in a project leadership capacity.

Technical Skills:

Mastery of ingredient functionality (enzymes, emulsifiers, starches). Ability to understand how bakery equipment operates and to write detailed SOPs. Ability to create documents that include photos and instructions to enable production personnel to clearly understand how to make new bakery foods. Detail oriented to ensure that work is performed with accuracy. Excellent analytical skills to enable technical problem solving. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to work independently with minimal supervision by demonstrating initiative, engagement and results oriented. Demonstrate creativity during new product development. Proficiency in nutritional labeling software (e.g., ESHA Genesis). Must be able to learn and work with the company ERP system and other software. Ability to run thermal death time studies and to summarize the data into easy-to-understand formats. Strong understanding of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and HACCP.