What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Scientist, Product Development for Sweet Baked Snacks position at The J.M. Smucker Co.?
Your Opportunity as the Senior Scientist, Product Development Sweet Baked Snacks
Leverage your technical leadership, creativity, and execution to help deliver the next generation of beloved snack brands. Lead hands-on product development and formulation work—designing experiments, analyzing results, and delivering insights that shape products from concept to launch. As a recognized product expert, you'll influence project direction, collaborate across functions, and bring ideas to life through work in the lab, pilot plant, manufacturing sites, and with consumers.
Location: Orrville, OH
Work Arrangements: Hybrid, 60% or more in office presence as business need requires and travel up to 30%
In This Role You Will
What We Are Looking For:
The Right Place for You
We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, we play to win, and we believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our Basic Beliefs, and we believe in supporting every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs.
Stay connected with us on LinkedIn®
We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, age, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status.
Leverage your technical leadership, creativity, and execution to help deliver the next generation of beloved snack brands. Lead hands-on product development and formulation work—designing experiments, analyzing results, and delivering insights that shape products from concept to launch. As a recognized product expert, you'll influence project direction, collaborate across functions, and bring ideas to life through work in the lab, pilot plant, manufacturing sites, and with consumers.
Location: Orrville, OH
Work Arrangements: Hybrid, 60% or more in office presence as business need requires and travel up to 30%
In This Role You Will
- Serve as the technical leader, subject matter expert, and product advocate for the Sweet Baked Snacks portfolio.
- Lead cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, Insights, Product Research, Packaging, Sales, Engineering, and Operations to develop innovative products and technologies that drive growth.
- Independently design and develop products based on consumer insights, business objectives, and project learning plans.
- Formulate products that meet consumer, nutritional, operational, regulatory, and financial requirements.
- Design and execute product development activities from concept through commercialization, including benchtop, pilot plant, and manufacturing scale-up.
- Analyze and interpret technical data, translating findings into clear recommendations for stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
- Partner across R&D and the broader organization to integrate ideas, leverage expertise, and advance project objectives.
- Develop and maintain technical documentation, including specifications, reports, project updates, data analyses, and laboratory records.
- Provide technical leadership and support to commercialization teams to ensure successful product launches.
- Identify and evaluate regulatory, environmental, and intellectual property opportunities and risks, including patent development and strategy.
- Drive innovation, product optimization, cost savings, and problem-solving initiatives across the portfolio.
- Mentor and develop early-career scientists, fostering technical growth and capability building.
What We Are Looking For:
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Bakery Science, or a related science, engineering, or technology discipline
- 7 years of product development, formulation, or R&D experience within the food, beverage, bakery, or consumer packaged goods industry
- Experience developing and commercializing products from concept through scale-up and launch.
- Experience designing and executing experiments, analyzing data, and translating findings into actionable recommendations.
- Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects and influence decisions across cross-functional teams, including Marketing, Operations, Engineering, Packaging, and Sales.
- Deep knowledge of food formulation including food safety, nutrition, shelf-life management, and interaction with process and packaging.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present technical information to diverse audiences.
- Proven ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and thrive in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.
- Ability to lift up to 30 lbs.
- Ability to travel up to 30% (travel frequency dependent on product launch pipeline).
- Advanced degree in food science or bakery science
- Knowledge of regulatory requirements, product claims, intellectual property, and patent opportunities.
- Experience leading pilot plant and manufacturing trials and supporting product launches.
- Experience working in bakery science
- Culinary experience
The Right Place for You
We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, we play to win, and we believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our Basic Beliefs, and we believe in supporting every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs.
Stay connected with us on LinkedIn®
We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, age, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status.