Senior Scientist, R&D - Product Development

Sr. Scientist, R&D – Technical Lead 

Role Summary

This role is a senior, hands-on technical leadership position within our U.S. businesses. The Sr. Scientist serves as a high-impact individual contributor whosetsa high bar for technical excellence, shapes front-end innovation, and ensures robust product and process performance. While the role has no direct reports initially, the incumbent is expected to lead through influence,establishtechnical standards, and mentor junior developers as a subject-matter authority.

WhatYou’llDo

1) Front-End Innovation

• Proactively generate consumer-insight-led concepts that clearlyarticulateunmet need, benefit statement, and reason-to-believe (RTB); author crisp concept briefs with technical enablers and claims pathways.

• Apply Price-Based Development (PBD):approximatefrom target shelf price using retailer margin and desired company margin to modelfeasibleCOGS/BOM and investment requirements; pressure test value equations and price-pack-architecture.

• Create focused learning plans using a risk-based approach: isolate and tackle the most uncertain/impactful assumptions first to solve or fail fast; frame problems, design experiments, and drive rapid decision cycles.

• Partner closely with Insights, Marketing, Finance, Procurement, Quality, and Operations to align on opportunity sizing, feasibility, and commercialization pathways.

2) Technical Rigor & Product/Process Robustness

• Define critical-to-quality (CTQ) attributes and link them to consumer liking/purchase intent; design experiments (DOE) to map design spaces and tolerance stacks.

• Establish statistical control and capability: SPC, control plans,measurementsystemsand capability analyses (Cp/Cpk) to ensure processes consistently meet design standards.

• Plan and execute failure and abuse testing (formulation, process, packaging, distribution, and shelf-life) tolocatedetractor thresholds; translate learnings into design rules.

• Author rigorous, enforceable specifications: Raw Materials, Work-in-Process (WIP), Finished Goods, and Trade/Customer specs with clear test methods, limits, CoA requirements, and change control.

• Design for manufacturability and scale-up: define process windows,Design-Standardtargets, and transfer criteria from bench/pilot to plant; lead factory trials and capability validation.

• Ensure food safety and regulatory compliance (e.g., HACCP/HARPC/FSMA, allergen control, micro, pH/a_w, thermal processing for shelf-stable sauces/condiments) in partnership with Quality/Regulatory.

• Document work to a publishable standard: concise technical reports, validation protocols, process flows, and equipment/user requirements (URS).

3) Project Leadership & Influence 

• Evaluate project briefs for technical feasibility, cost, time-to-execute, risk, and probability of success; communicate clear POVs and recommendations (go/no-go/hold).

• Articulate risks, mitigations, dependencies, and resource needs;maintaintransparent readiness criteria and decision logs.

• Exhibit exceptional critical thinking: rank-order development constraints (e.g., quality, claims, cost, speed, scale) and propose strategically justified constraint-breaking approaches to create advantage.

• Translate complex technical content for diverse audiences—operators, partners, and executives—using structured narratives, visuals, and data storytelling.

• Mentor junior R&D team membersinformally;raise technical standards via coaching, design reviews, and example-setting.

Qualifications

Required

• BS or MS in Food Science, Chemical/Packaging Engineering, or related discipline.  

• Minimum 5 years of R&D/product/process development experience in CPG foods (graduate research and internships count toward total). 

• Able toapply food science knowledge todeterminebest ways to process, package, preserve, store, and distributefood).

• Demonstratedapplicationof DOE, SPC, capability analysis (Cp/Cpk), and data interpretation using tools such as Minitab or equivalent.

• Proven experience authoring specifications (RM, WIP, FG, Trade) andestablishingcontrol plans that protect product design.

• Hands-on scale-up and commercialization from bench/pilot to factory, including leading plant trials and validating process capability.

• Ability to remaincurrent onevolvingregulations and events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.

• Excellent communication and influence skills; ability to structure complex information for technical and non-technical stakeholders; executive-ready presentations.

• Ability to independently prioritize and manage multiple workstreams with minimal guidance; comfortoperatingin ambiguity while driving clarity.

• Willingness to travel 30–40% as business needsdictate.

Preferred

• Experience in sauces, condiments, and shelf-stable products; understanding of thermal processing and shelf-life design.

• Lean Six SigmaGreenbelt / Blackbeltcertification.

• Working knowledge of HACCP/HARPC/FSMA, allergen control, and validation of critical control points; partnership with Regulatory/Quality on claims and labeling.

• Familiarity with PLM/specification systems, ERP (e.g., SAP), and digital tools for data analysis and visualization.

• Culinary collaboration experience and/or sensory science training (e.g., discrimination and descriptive methods, consumer validation).

• Exposure to IP strategy (defensive publications, claims substantiation, or collaboration with Legal on provisional filings).

Our Total Rewards philosophy is to provide a meaningful and flexible spectrum of programs that equitably support our diverse workforce and their families and complement Kraft Heinz strategy and values.