A Food and Agricultural Scientist or Technologist studies plants and animals used in food production. Researches topics related to improving quality and productivity in agriculture and livestock farming, or food science and nutrition. May specialize in applying food science to food product development.
A Better For You Growing Snacks company is hiring for a Sr. Scientist! The Senior Scientist plays a pivotal role in advancing technical platforms, ingredient innovation, and process feasibility for snack and confectionery products. This position is responsible for developing scalable, science-based solutions that support the company's innovation pipeline. The role emphasizes early-stage formulation development, ingredient functionality, predictive modeling, and technical risk assessment to ensure successful product development prior to commercialization. And this is how you'll do it... Support the Research & Technical Development Lead in developing, optimizing, and expanding core technology platforms, including probiotic systems, fiber-enriched systems, sugar-reduction systems, hydrocolloid systems, and protein-enhanced systems. Conduct ingredient functionality studies to understand structure-function relationships and performance characteristics. Develop scalable, reusable technical frameworks that support multiple product innovation initiatives across the pipeline. 2. Advanced Formulation Science Design, develop, and optimize complex formulations for snack and confectionery applications. Investigate critical formulation attributes, including texture stability, moisture migration, hydrolysis risks, glass transition behavior, and shelf-life performance. Conduct structured root cause analyses to resolve technical challenges and translate scientific findings into robust, scalable formulation strategies. 3. Process Feasibility & Technical Risk Mitigation Evaluate key processing parameters, including heating profiles, vacuum conditions, Brix, pH, and water activity (Aw), to ensure process robustness and product performance. Identify technical and scalability risks early in the development process and recommend mitigation strategies. Support pilot-scale trials and collaborate with commercialization teams to enable successful scale-up. 4. Stability Prediction & Product Performance Design and execute accelerated and real-time stability studies to assess product performance. Establish technical quality benchmarks for texture, moisture, color, active ingredients, and other critical quality attributes. Analyze stability data to predict product shelf life and guide formulation improvements. 5. Cross-Functional Collaboration Partner with Product Development to ensure a seamless transition from research through commercialization. Provide technical expertise to analytical, quality, regulatory, and compliance functions. Support supplier technical evaluations, ingredient qualification, and raw material validation activities. 6. Documentation & Technical Governance Maintain accurate, complete, and compliant formulation records and technical documentation within designated systems. Prepare comprehensive technical reports, development summaries, and risk assessments to support internal decision-making and project governance.
Experience and Skills:
Master's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or related field. 2+ years of experience in snack and/or confectionery and/or gummy and/or bars of 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. Availability to be on-site 5 days a week in Passaic County, NJ Lab Compensation may be flexible dependent upon experience. Package also includes bonus and benefits!
