Sr Scientist, R&D - Next Gen Ingredients

Job Description

Senior Scientist – Next Gen Ingredients 

The individual will support the Next Generation Ingredients Team working from the Glenview, IL R&D facility. This position offers the candidate an excellent opportunity to lead innovative and disruptive ingredient research while creating competitive advantage across the global Kraft Heinz portfolio.   

The candidate will identify and lead ingredient technology development initiatives. The candidate should be able to identify future technology, prioritize research pathways, demonstrate proof of concept, develop prototypes, conduct technology scale-up trials, validate technologies in model systems and applications, conduct consumer testing, and commercialize technologies. This includes understanding of business needs, designing and executing tests, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, documenting, and communicating results to both technical and non-technical audiences.  Proven communication and collaboration skills are essential in this role. 

The candidate must also have a proven strong technical background, leadership, ability to think critically to apply prior knowledge and scientific principles to new situations, and project management skills. Technical background should include general food science as well as ingredient knowledge, functionality, and interactions. Experience with sweeteners, flavor, taste, aroma, and color ingredient science and applications is preferred. The candidate should also have demonstrated cross-functional team leadership within their own organization and within the scientific community. They will need to interact and build research collaboration programs within external ecosystems while progressing research pathways internally. 

Responsibilities: 

• The individual will identify, scope, design and develop technology research to support different KHC product categories renovations and innovations initiatives, assessing business case and risk. 

• Design and execute experimental plans and apply learnings to drive product renovation and /or innovation. 

• Be able to embrace all aspects of ingredient technology development including the fuzzy front end, ideation, design, development and commercialization.   

• The candidate will need to also understand fundamentally other product technologies associated with applications.    

• Conduct bench top, pilot plant and plant trials to explore, optimize formulation and processes. 

• Work cross-functionally with other team members to progress research projects. 

• Responsible for technology scouting and discovery. 

• Build /have external connection to research partners such as universities, research institutes, consultants. 

Technical Requirements: 

• B.S. degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, or related fields with minimum of 7 years of relevant experience or M.S. in the above fields with 5+ years of relevant experience or PhD in above fields with 2+ years of relevant experience 

• Strong food science background in ingredient functionality and interactions. 

• Experience with sweeteners, flavor, taste, aroma, and color ingredient science and applications is preferred. 

• Demonstrated record of conducting research development projects and