Food Scientist II - Little Rock, AR

Working independently, the Food Scientist II is responsible for the development of new products across Coffee, Tea and Extracts from concept to commercialization. Requires work with multi-disciplinary groups to innovate, optimize and customize food ingredients. Consults directly with sales and customers to meet expectations. This position reports to the Product Development Manager.

Primary Job Functions:

• Product Development
• Project Requests
• Commercialization
• Technical Support
• Trade show planning and attendance
• Raw material assessment
• Additional tasks or projects outside "core" responsibilities

Key Responsibilities:

• Ideate and develop new product prototypes and optimization to existing products
• Improve existing products by optimizing product attributes
• Develop and maintain accurate records related to the products such as formulas, label development, production process, HACCP, product specification, nutritional data, shelf life, etc.
• Participate on product development teams and cross-functional teams to be the Product Development advocate as applicable
• Independently completes project requests as assigned on-time
• Provide application samples and usage recommendations, as needed
• Tracks project trends and optimizes processes for product development
• Oversee scale-up from bench to production trials
• Develop processing parameters with current equipment for better efficiency and yields
• Troubleshoot trials and provide recommendations for corrective action
• Provide technical support to customers seeking product information and advice as it pertains to product application/usage levels
• Travel independently with Salesperson on customer demonstrations; work with R&D on site.
• Demonstrate knowledge of field protocols and procedures that support products and solutions to Westrock customers
• Provide comprehensive reports on complex data analysis and summaries
• Serve as Product Development lead on trade show planning teams
• Provide technical assistance to sales in the trade show booth
• Evaluate, approve, and analyze risk of new or existing ingredients
• Evaluate new raw materials and conduct sensory analysis with a cross-functional group.
• Evaluate technical specification documentation for compliance with Westrock requirements
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering or related field or relevant industry experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of Product Development experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Strong understanding of food science principles
• Adept Sensory skills and knowledge of sensory evaluation techniques.
• Experience and knowledge with nutritional data generation and regulatory requirements from USDA and FDA as well as State and local health and food safety code.
• Knowledge of SQF quality systems and related requirements.
• Combination of strong analytical skills and creative thinking.
• Must have excellent PC computer skills and ability to manage data electronically.
• Self-motivated, outgoing, self-starter
• Must be hard working, reliable and accurate, and able to produce quality lab work at high work load.
• Must be willing to travel when needed.