Sr. Scientist, Research - R&D

About the role

The Senior Scientist, Product Development will lead the development and commercialization of new and improved candy products across beloved brands such as Nerds, Trolli, and Jelly Belly. This role requires in-person attendance for most of the workweek.

Responsibilities

• Independently leads innovation, renovation or brand maintenance projects with moderate to high complexity, owning the technical development plan and communication with relevant stakeholders, from initial concept development to scale-up to commercialization.
• Manages multiple priorities at a given time by engaging with Manager to effectively communicate risks and tradeoffs. Leads the creation of technical risk assessments for product development.
• Possesses a strong understanding of the innovation process and applies effectively to drive projects forward in the commercialization process with executional excellence and on-time delivery of milestones.
• Applies technical problem solving for challenges of medium to high complexity to effectively manage risks and provide contingency plans to achieve success.
• Develops new product formulas of a moderate to high complexity on a bench scale and effectively scales up to pilot plant and industrial plant scale to provide technical validation.
• Collaborates with Operations, Quality, Industrial Design, and Process Engineering staff to problem solve and suggest innovative solutions.
• Consistently utilizes technically sound methodology and problem-solving tools to design experiments and test new ideas.
• Leads continuous improvement/optimization of current products according to business needs, supply situation and/or manufacturing expansion plans.
• Observes, evaluates, and concisely and accurately documents experimental data and results leading to robust technical recommendations as well as risk identification.
• Provides strong cross-functional partnership with Marketing, Operations, Consumer Insights, Industrial Design, Process Engineering, Project Management, Quality, Food Safety, and Procurement teams to ensure an efficient and successful project execution.
• Effectively communicates project status updates directly with key stakeholders and cross-functional partners with project reports and product showcases.
• Spend majority of time on-site in Ferrara’s Innovation Lab and pilot plant (60-100% of the time).
• Travels, both domestically and internationally (25-50% travel based on project status).
• Ensures adherence to all company policies and procedures.

Requirements

BS, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Food Science, or related field, required. 5+ years experience in food industry or related field (preferably candy confections).

Qualifications

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (bilingual if possible: Spanish preferred)
• Strong mathematical skills
• Strong computer skills – including Microsoft Office (Word), Spreadsheets, and SAP

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits such as health insurance, dental insurance, a 401(k), and paid time off (PTO). Eligible employees may also receive an annual bonus based on company performance.

Pay

The salary range for this role is $81,225- $113,715 annually.