Research and Development Food Scientist

About the role

This on-site position in Brunswick, GA leads the development, optimization, and plant scale-up of value-added seafood and vegetable products, including battered, breaded, marinated, and ready-to-cook items. The role works cross-functionally to create products that meet customer requirements and deliver consistent taste, texture, quality, and profitability. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.

Responsibilities

• Lead new product development activities for value-added seafood and vegetable products, from bench-top concept through commercialization.
• Develop innovative, value-added products, including battered, breaded, marinated, glazed, and ready-to-cook items.
• Formulate functional batters, breading, marinades, glazes, and flavor systems optimized for frozen storage and customer reheating methods, including oven, air-fryer, and deep-fry applications.
• Research and evaluate new products, ingredients, coatings, flavors, and processing technologies that can improve product quality, efficiency, or customer value.
• Develop and maintain product specifications that are accurate, manufacturable, and aligned with customer, quality, and production requirements.
• Lead plant trials and commercial manufacturing line trials to transition new formulations into large-scale frozen production.
• Evaluate ingredient functionality, including starches, hydrocolloids, and phosphates, to improve water-holding capacity, reduce purge loss, and support product quality during frozen distribution.
• Conduct sensory testing, texture analysis, and shelf-life studies to evaluate product performance, stability, and quality over time.
• Ensure formulations, raw materials, specifications, and processing steps comply with applicable food safety, quality, allergen labeling, and regulatory requirements, including Seafood HACCP requirements.
• Build customer relationships and provide technical support through product presentations, sales meetings, trade shows, seminars, and customer visits.
• Other duties and projects as assigned.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in food science or a closely related field.
• Three to six years of product development experience in a food processing environment; seafood, chicken, or value-added protein manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of seafood protein functionality, coating systems, freezing technologies, and thawing kinetics; breading and battering experience preferred.
• Working knowledge of FDA Seafood HACCP requirements, Good Manufacturing Practices, labeling regulations, and sanitation protocols for wet and frozen processing environments.
• Ability to define problems, collect and analyze data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage priorities, timelines, and cross-functional deliverables.
• Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally with Procurement, Operations, Quality Assurance, and Category Management to meet project milestones.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain technical information clearly to internal and external audiences.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.