R&D Documentation Specialist

Job Summary

The R&D Documentation Specialist is responsible for creating and maintaining accurate product-development documentation and data for the Research & Development team. This role ensures that projects move smoothly from development through commercialization.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and maintain bill of materials (BOM) set-ups for new and existing finished goods, ensuring accuracy of components, quantities, and units of measure.
• Develop and maintain formula and recipe documentation as the R&D system of record, following naming, versioning, and data-integrity standards set by R&D leadership.
• Build and update ingredient statements and nutritional information for products in development, in line with FDA and USDA requirements.
• Maintain organized, retrievable R&D project documentation.
• Data & Systems (TraceGains — shared with Quality)
• Enter and maintain R&D-item records in the TraceGains application (e.g., new R&D ingredients and items), coordinating with the Quality team, which administers the system.
• Pull supplier and ingredient data from TraceGains to support R&D documentation, and flag missing or inconsistent information to Quality for follow-up.
• Partner with the Quality Systems Specialist/Coordinator on item set-ups and specification inputs, respecting Quality’s ownership of the TraceGains system, vendor document follow-up, and official specification sheets.
• Commercialization & Launch Support
• Prepare and organize documentation packages required for commercialization reviews and first-time production runs.
• Cook with Quality, Regulatory, and Sourcing to keep R&D-side documentation accurate and consistent.
• Continuous Improvement Support
• Support continuous improvement of R&D documentation workflows, templates, and standards.
• Maintain audit-ready R&D records; identify and correct data discrepancies.
• Compliance
• Execute documentation to the standards and templates established by R&D leadership; escalate exceptions appropriately.
• Comply with GMP, personal hygiene, and food safety and employee safety programs.

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in Food Science, Business, Information Management, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• New graduates encouraged to apply.
• 1+ years of experience in documentation, data entry, administrative, or specification-support work preferred; relevant internships count.
• Excellent attention to detail, organizational, and communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel.
• Beginning knowledge of product specifications, BOMs, and nutritional labeling a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the food manufacturing or processing industry.
• Exposure to an ERP system (e.g., Deacom) and/or TraceGains or a similar PLM / document-management system.

Working Conditions

• Primarily an office and laboratory environment, with occasional visits to production areas.
• Occasional travel to other PS Seasoning facilities may be required.
• Flexible hours may be necessary to meet project and product-launch deadlines.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in a food manufacturing environment, including exposure to varying temperatures and noise levels.
• Ability to comply with all cGMP requirements to enter a production environment.
• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while performing documentation work.
• 8:00am — 4:30pm (Core Hours); additional hours, 1st and 2nd shift support or weekend support as needed during launches or deadlines.