Flavor Scientist

Kemin is a privately held, family-owned-and-operated global biotechnology company driven by curiosity and committed to transforming the quality of life for people, pets, and the planet. We create solutions that strengthen health and wellbeing, provide nutrition and immune support for pets and production animals, safeguard the planet’s natural resources, and protect the global food supply chain. With over 500 specialty ingredients for industries including human and animal health and nutrition, pet food, aquaculture, nutraceutical, food technologies, crop technologies, textiles, biofuels, and animal vaccines, we employ 3,500 global employees across operations in 90 countries.

About the role

Kemin is seeking an innovative and commercially minded scientist to drive the development of next-generation palatant technologies and ingredient solutions for the pet food industry. This role will lead the design, execution, and interpretation of scientific experiments supporting product innovation, commercialization, scale-up, and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate combines strong scientific expertise with a commercial-first mindset, translating customer and market needs into differentiated technical solutions while working across Marketing, Sales, Operations, Regulatory, Quality, suppliers, and customers. Success requires comfort with ambiguity, a willingness to challenge conventional thinking, and the ability to adapt quickly as business priorities evolve. This is an onsite-based position in the US.

Responsibilities

• Develop and evaluate next-generation palatant technologies using a wide range of scientific tools, analytical techniques, and creative problem-solving approaches.
• Design, execute, and interpret experiments to support product innovation and commercialization.
• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Sales, Operations, Regulatory, and Quality teams to accelerate innovation.
• Engage proactively with suppliers and customers to identify unmet needs and translate market insights into technical solutions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to expand our innovation toolbox beyond existing capabilities.
• Support product scale-up, commercialization, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Communicate project progress, technical findings, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Contribute to the development of intellectual property, scientific publications, and customer-facing technical presentations.

Qualifications

• M.S (with at least 3 years of industry experience) or Ph.D. in Food Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Animal Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
• Strong background in Flavor Chemistry.
• Experience leveraging statistical software packages (such as JMP, XLSTAT, SIMCA, Minitab) to generate actionable insights through ANOVA, Regression, Multivariate Data Analysis-PCA, Cluster Analysis, Factor Analysis, and OPLS-DA.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within cross-functional teams.

Benefits

• Competitive Financial Package: Rewarding salary, uncapped bonus opportunities, 401k match program, and generous paid vacation and holidays.
• Health and Wellness Support: Fitness reimbursement for the whole family, access to an on-site fitness center, a restaurant offering seasonal fresh food options, and free fresh fruit in break areas.
• Career Development and Advancement: Opportunities for growth and development throughout your career.
• Continued Learning Opportunities: In-house learning platforms with thousands of training resources (live and online) and tuition reimbursement for external post-secondary pursuits.
• Service Opportunities: Paid time off for service, partnerships with The World Food Programme and Habitat for Humanity, and local community initiatives.