Food Technologist, R&D

About the role

We are seeking a Food Technologist, R&D to join our team at our Newark, CA bakery. As a Food Technologist, you will be accountable for developing innovative bakery products and optimizing existing formulations to meet customer expectations, market trends, and operational excellence. This role plays a critical part in bringing customer-centric products from concept to commercialization while ensuring quality, compliance, and scalability.

Core Accountabilities

• Lead new product development initiatives aligned to customer needs, trends, and business objectives
• Optimize and continuously improve existing formulations for quality, cost, and compliance
• Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, marketing, procurement, and regulatory teams
• Serve as a technical resource for bakery operations and support production runs and troubleshooting
• Translate R&D concepts into scalable, commercially viable products through structured processes
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, specifications, and ingredient records
• Evaluate and approve ingredients, suppliers, and testing protocols to ensure product integrity

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (BS) or Associate degree (AA) in Food Science or related field
• 1–2 years of experience in industrial food development or transferable R&D experience
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint)
• Strong understanding of food science principles, including ingredient functionality and testing methods
• Ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across cross-functional teams
• Able to meet physical requirements, including standing for extended periods and lifting up to 50 lbs

Preferred Qualifications

• Culinary development or bakery product experience
• Experience with SAP, Genesis, or similar systems
• Knowledge of food regulations, labeling, and market trends (e.g., clean label, ingredient restrictions)
• Fluency in Spanish
• Experience with concept-to-commercialization processes in food manufacturing