Sr. Research Development Technician

Schwan’s Company, a U.S. affiliate of the global lifestyle brand CJ CheilJedang Corporation, is a leader in manufacturing and marketing quality foods enjoyed nationwide. We have beloved brands like Red Baron®, Tony’s®, Big Daddy’s®, Villa Prima™ and Freschetta® pizzas; bibigo®, Pagoda® Asian-style snacks and we can’t forget Mrs. Smith’s® and Edwards® pies! We bring families and communities together through great food. Join our team and see the opportunities are real, and the sky is the limit; this isn’t just a job, it’s a seat at the table!

We are hiring a Sr. Research & Development Technician located in Bloomington, MN. This position, under limited supervision, is responsible for the support of Research & Development groups in the areas of product sample preparation, sensory evaluation, culinary support, and kitchen operations and maintenance related to new product development, product improvements, cost reductions, and product maintenance.

Responsibilities:

• Prepare and conduct product sample evaluations and sensory testing with cross-functional teams under the guidance of Product Development team leaders.
• Provide culinary support to R&D team members in the kitchens.
• Maintain kitchen operations, equipment, inventory records, retained samples; request repairs and calibrations as needed.
• Provide project-related documentation and notes from product evaluations as requested.
• Prepare and ship ingredients, samples, and finished goods for testing, evaluation, and customer reviews.
• Support imported product commercialization, including cooking validations according to established procedures and creation of product specifications in SAP system.
• Support R&D team members in pilot plant operations at other locations when requested.

Qualifications:

• Education: High school diploma or equivalent; Associate degree preferred, especially Culinary Arts.
• Minimum of 4 years of related experience.
• Demonstrated skills and comfort in a kitchen or food preparation environment, with a passion for food and cuisines.
• Strong self-organizational skills.
• Advanced communication and interpersonal skills with strong executive presence.
• Intermediate PC skills and solid mathematical skills including algebra, percentage, fractions, and word problems.
• Ability to create and work with simple to complex worksheets.
• Ability to operate and calibrate R&D laboratory instruments and basic R&D lab and pilot plant equipment.
• Ability to taste and ingest any type of food product currently under development.

Compensation: $18.90 to $33.00/hour based on experience. 

Education: High school diploma or equivalent; Associates degree preferred.

Years of Related Experience: 4-7 years related experience.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities: Advanced communication and interpersonal skills; intermediate PC skills includingMicrosoft Suite; .advanced problem solving skills according to position; solid mathematical skills including algebra,percentage, fractions, and word problems; ability to create and work with simple to complex worksheets; ability tooperate and calibrate R&D laboratory instruments and basic R&D lab and pilot plant equipment; ability to taste andingest any type of food product currently under development.

This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications associated with the job. An individual must be able to perform all ofthe duties and responsibilities listed in a fully competent manner to be considered successful in the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individualswith disabilities to perform essential duties and responsibilities.