Kenny's Candy & Confections

Scientist – (Dietary Supplement Development) 

Our Coolest Benefit - Profit Sharing!

In our most recent fiscal year, KLN Family Brands paid out over $6 million in profit-sharing to our employees!!!

Our Story

KLN Family Brands is a 3rd generation family-owned business that started in 1964 with its corporate headquarters located in Perham, MN, in the heart of MN lakes country. Together, our companies manufacture a diverse and expanding range of high-quality human and pet food products.

At KLN Family Brands, our vision is that “We are a proud people-first company. We are successful because of trust-based relationships, and first-rate products for our families and friends. We better the world by caring for others. We challenge. We grow. We inspire.”

Some companies have to “fudge the story” a little. Some need the extra “spin” to shine a positive light on themselves. That’s not who we are at KLN Family Brands, and that’s not what we do. We tell the story of our brand – our people, the quality of our products, our spirit & moxie, our tradition, and the way we treat our community & beyond. We do it in a genuine way because we genuinely believe we’re a pretty amazing company.

We’re now hiring a Dietary Supplement R&D Scientist for our team at our Kenny’s Candy & Confections business. A successful candidate will be responsible for leading the development of customer and brand needs for dietary supplement product formulations. If you’ve been looking for a position where you can exhibit your passion for developing solution focused dietary supplement products, then keep reading. You may have just stumbled upon the perfect role!

The Opportunity

As the Dietary Supplement R&D Scientist you will work closely with the whole KCC leadership team but largely with our R&D manager and Food technology team. You will be responsible for executing product development initiatives to further enhance KCC’s portfolio of dietary supplements by developing and improving dietary supplement products through formulation, process management and regulatory needs/changes. You will also be a part of maintaining or developing new customer and supplier relationships for Kenny’s Candy and Confections.

Your Responsibilities

• Responsible for prototyping, formulation, pilot production and scale-up to plant implementation of innovation and renovation dietary supplement products
• Technical lead responsible for product development and product optimization, working in collaboration with project managers and the cross functional team (following stage gate methodology)
• Possess strong product development skills in ingredient functionality, material selection and formulation to understand effects on finished product performance
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to obtain market research to understand consumer trends, preferences and emerging needs regarding flavor, nutrition, label claims, etc. & apply to product design
• Identify and communicate formula limitations (MOQ, cost, lead times, processing concerns) to appropriate stakeholders
• Conduct trials, data collection and interpret results to drive project forward, develop action plans, risk assessment and contingency planning
• Work with R&D Application Specialists to complete benchtop samples and collect data needed for future samples or to scale formula for production
• Provide technical support to manufacturing and quality for commissioning of innovation and renovation but not limited to product and process limitations, gummy formulation, production process improvement, cost savings and trouble shooting
• Ability to develop formulas from benchtop to production line trial through development of ingredient and formulation trial plans
• Support dietary supplement innovation pipeline by leveraging internal and external resources
• Work with R&D Application Specialists, production & quality colleagues to collect data, and samples during production line trials and first production runs
• Report, organize and file collected data & labeled samples for future reference & shelf life analysis
• Partner with operations to ensure seamless and successful achievement of production goals, KPI, process robustness, stability and optimization of equipment and resources
• Collaborate with R&D teammates to maintain nutritional information, labeling database and proof product label information (PLI) of raw materials and formulas into Genesis nutritional software, create master formulas and manufacturing directions
• Create, proof, and review nutritional labels and panels for packaging
• Communicate with department heads, customers, and suppliers to discuss and resolve quality issues
• Proactively prepare reports as required by customers, suppliers and departments
• Adhere to compliance to internal and external policies, quality standards, legal requirements cGMPs, SOPs and safety procedures.
• Communicate with sales and commercialization team on project timelines and updates
• Communicate with R&D Team and other departments how proposed formulation changes will help to achieve the goal

Qualifications

• A BS or MS degree in Food Science, Nutrition/Dietetics, Chemical Engineering or related degree or 5-7 years manufacturing experience in Food Science, formulation and continuous improvement projects preferably in gummy supplement formulation with variable active ingredients.
• Experience in new product development and a focus on dietary supplement formulations
• Self-Motivation with sense of urgency and can-do attitude
• Basic computer skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication and organization skills
• A partnership and relationship-based approach in working with internal and external stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills and familiarity with problem solving tools including root cause analysis, flowchart and fishbone diagrams
• Understanding of the consumer good industry, preferably in health wellness/dietary supplements

Certain states and localities require employers to post a reasonable estimate of salary range. A reasonable estimate of current base salary range for this position is $76,500 - $105,000. Actual salary will be based on a variety of factors, including location, experience, skill set, performance, licensure and certifications.