Food Scientist

At Zentis—Europe’s number one fruit processing company and a leading brand manufacturer of jams, sweets, and custard-based desserts—we produce fruit and dairy preparations for yogurt, ice cream, and bakery manufacturers at our North America facilities in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Plymouth, Indiana.

About the role

The Food Scientist II in Research & Development develops new products and technologies that drive business growth and stability. This role involves close collaboration with Sales and customers to manage projects and expand business opportunities. The position also monitors market trends, new ingredients, and processing technologies, and engages with the global Zentis R&D community to share knowledge and seek project support. Project focus areas include beverages, ice cream, bakery fillings and glazes, and dairy or dairy-alternative applications.

Responsibilities

• Independently lead product development projects from concept through commercialization, partnering with Sales, Operations, Quality, Procurement, and Manufacturing to meet customer and business objectives.
• Utilize DMS and MES systems to develop, optimize, and commercialize formulations while ensuring manufacturability and cost targets are achieved.
• Apply strong project management skills to manage multiple priorities, identify risks, and drive timely decisions across cross-functional teams.
• Serve as the primary technical contact during customer interactions, presenting concepts, technical recommendations, and project updates.
• Anticipate technical challenges and develop innovative solutions balancing customer requirements, operational capabilities, and business needs.
• Provide guidance and technical support to junior scientists and technicians.
• Design and execute complex experimental plans using statistical analysis to develop products, optimize processes, and resolve product quality challenges.
• Establish product specifications, process parameters, and validation criteria that align customer requirements with manufacturing capability and business objectives.
• Evaluate existing analytical methods and develop enhanced testing approaches to improve product understanding, troubleshooting, and quality assurance.
• Partner with suppliers, customers, laboratories, and industry resources to benchmark practices, evaluate new technologies, and align testing methodologies with industry standards.
• Provide technical guidance to junior scientists in experimental design, data interpretation, and problem-solving methodologies.
• Lead successful scale-up and commercialization activities to achieve Right-First-Time (RFT) targets while balancing customer expectations, product quality, operational efficiency, and cost requirements.
• Apply advanced knowledge of ingredient functionality, processing conditions, and manufacturing capabilities to proactively identify commercialization risks.
• Design and execute pilot plant and intermediary scale-up plans to validate formulations and manufacturing processes prior to full-scale production.
• Partner closely with Operations, Quality, Procurement, and Production teams to resolve startup challenges and implement corrective actions.
• Independently lead investigations into formulation, ingredient, or process-related failures and develop sustainable solutions to improve future commercialization success.
• Assist with cost and productivity improvement initiatives without compromising product quality or customer requirements.
• Maintain development laboratories in a neat and organized manner using designated procedures and systems; suggest upgrades as needed.
• Build expertise in Zentis’ business areas through collaboration with other scientists and share knowledge to support business success and team development.

Requirements

• Minimum: B.S. in Food Science, Food Engineering, Culinology, or a related food technical field. Degrees in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or Biology may also be considered.
• 5–8 years of food industry R&D experience in related product areas, or 4–7 years with an M.S. degree and related thesis.
• Expertise in formulation, process scale-up, food regulations, and functional ingredients such as stabilizers (starches, pectins, gums), colors, flavors, texturizing ingredients, and fruit formulations.
• Strong problem-solving skills with an inclination to develop sustainable solutions.

Skills

• Positive, proactive work ethic.
• Strong project management skills.
• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to make decisions and solve problems independently and collaboratively.
• Comfortable presenting technical information to customers and internal partners.
• Strong analytical skills for quantitative data and summarizing findings.
• Familiarity with functional ingredients, product formulations, thermal processes, and production-scale equipment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook); familiarity with SAP and formula management applications is a plus.
• Professional and supportive external representation of the company.
• Ability to travel up to 15% (local and international).