Director, Food Systems & Application Science

Marmon Foodservice Technologies, Inc.

As a part of the global industrial organization Marmon Holdings—which is backed by Berkshire Hathaway—you’ll be doing things that matter, leading at every level, and winning a better way. We’re committed to making a positive impact on the world, providing you with diverse learning and working opportunities, and fostering a culture where everyone’s empowered to be their best.

About The Job

Though you may not know us by name, you’ve most likely enjoyed meals and refreshments supported by our industry-leading brand portfolio. For decades, we’ve designed and manufactured foodservice equipment for some of the world’s biggest, most recognized consumer brands. We are driven to innovate with a clear purpose in mind: revolutionize the future of foodservice.

The Director, Food Systems & Application Science will build and institutionalize a scientific framework that defines how food interacts with Marmon Foodservice Technologies (MFT) equipment including holding bins, toasters, and heated platforms - so product performance is measurable, repeatable, and faster to validate with customers.

This role transforms subjective food quality feedback (e.g., “too dry,” “compressed,” “soggy”) into objective, quantifiable parameters that directly inform engineering design decisions, de-risk product development, and significantly accelerate QSR approval cycles.

What You’ll Do

Define Measurable Food Performance Criteria

Establish clear, science-based definitions of food quality performance across time, temperature, and equipment conditions.

• Define moisture loss thresholds by product type and application

• Establish acceptable compression and deformation tolerance ranges

• Quantify texture degradation curves over hold time

• Map time–temperature interactions and their impact on food quality

• Standardize validation and test protocols for holding, heating, and toasting applications

Integrate with Engineering & Product Development

Serve as the technical bridge between food science and equipment engineering.

• Translate food performance limits into actionable engineering design constraints

• Partner with engineering teams to support design of experiments (DOE)

• Collaborate on heat distribution, airflow, and humidity control modeling

• Provide validation data and food performance evidence to support new product launches

Build & Scale Validation Lab Capability

Develop internal technical capability to objectively measure food-system performance.

• Establish and oversee laboratory methods including:

  • Texture Profile Analysis (TPA)

  • Water activity (aw) measurement

  • Moisture content and loss analysis

  • Internal temperature and thermal mapping

  • Accelerated hold-time and shelf-life studies

• Define best practices for repeatability, data integrity, and scalability across programs

Support Commercial & Customer Engagement

Provide scientific credibility and technical leadership in customer-facing and field applications.

• Act as a technical authority during QSR testing and validation

• Define pre-approval food performance test plans with customers

• Reduce customer approval cycle times through structured, data-backed validation

• Support root cause analysis and troubleshooting for field performance issues

Strong Foundation in:

• Heat and mass transfer

• Rheology and texture analysis

• Water activity and moisture modeling

• Food microbiology fundamentals (applied understanding)

Skills/Experience We’re Looking For

• 8–15 years of experience in applied food systems, product applications, or food-focused R&D

• Experience working with commercial food equipment, QSR R&D teams, or foodservice technology environments

• Demonstrated ability to translate sensory or qualitative outcomes into quantitative, repeatable metrics

• Proven experience designing and executing structured experiments, including DOE

• Track record of influencing cross-functional teams (engineering, product, commercial) through data-driven insight

Required Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Food Science, Food Engineering, Thermal Processing, or a related discipline

Benefits