Senior Product Development Specialist - Beverage

 

Foods people love. Brands people trust. And a career that nourishes your future like no other.

 

If you're driven by the passion to do something meaningful that changes lives, Nestlé is the place for you. Nestlé USA is one of seven operating companies that make up Nestlé’s presence in the United States. We're in 97% of American homes, and as the leading food and beverage company, our goals are to continue to deliver quality food and beverage products, strengthen our local communities, and reduce our environmental and climate impact.

 

We’re determined to challenge the status quo and be better tomorrow than we are today. As individuals and teams, we embrace our entrepreneurial culture and have created a workplace where collaboration is essential, courage is rewarded, speed is expected, and agility is the norm to delight our consumers every single day. Here, you will find limitless opportunities to learn and advance your career and feel empowered to succeed in the workplace and beyond. Because our focus is not only on nourishing our customers, but also about enriching you.

 

This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.

 

 

Position Summary

 

Technical product development lead in a highly complex greenfield site project with two brand new manufacturing lines for the Beverage Division. Represent TAG Product Development as the on-site resource that liaises with multiple stakeholders to complete all tasks in scope in support of the design, set up, start up and operations of the new factory. Responsible for developing product specifications, qualifying vendors, recipe management and set up, process descriptions, product manuals, trial planning and execution, technical acceptance, first of code production, and final release of all products in scope. 

In steady state, the Sr Specialist Product Development will deliver innovation and renovation portfolio, and optimization/improvement projects, in strategic partnership with Marketing to translate consumer insight into project pipelines. Represent Technical Application Group as subject matter expert for product and process to transfer knowledge to other factories, and train and coach others.

 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Develop and launch products in scope and implement best in class processes in the new factory. Collaborate and influence internal and external project teams to ensure consistency and quality of products in scope across manufacturing sites, and develop, industrialize, and launch these on time within budget.

2. Implementation of Innovation & Renovation strategy for Beverages in the market. Leverage technical experience, R&D and external industry insights to develop, implement, and execute creative product/process development activities to achieve project goals and deadlines to delight the consumer. 

3. Continuously improve/optimize current products and processes with factory according to local business needs and supply situation and/or implementation of initiatives. Lead technical projects including technical assistance, sourcing, quality improvements, compliance, and productivity cost savings. This includes establishing and managing timelines, uncovering roadblocks, defining critical paths, and identifying resource constraints. Navigation of ambiguity with autonomy is key in project work.

4. Ensure adherence to all products, processes, materials standards. Act as Quality Lead for various projects as assigned. This includes practical application of HACCP/Food Safety fundamentals, new material onboarding, allergen/claims validation and process capability.

5. Develop expertise for product and process mastership within TAG. Define, develop, and coach the competencies and training materials required for product/process mastership to enable manufacturing excellence. This includes knowledge and formula expertise in both product and process. Leads knowledge transfer to build capability and process mastery within the factory and TAG.

7. Provide first line support to other factories, especially in the areas of ingredient, recipe and processing to ensure consistent production of high-quality products for the consumer.

REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM EDUCATION LEVEL:

• A BS or MS degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering or related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Position requires approximately 10% travel.

 

EXPERIENCE:
• Prefer minimum 5-7 years of product or process development experience in CPG or related field.
• Factory Process Engineering/ Manufacturing experience. Beverage/Dairy expertise a plus.

 

REQUIRED SKILLS:
• Ability to work in a fast paced and high performing environment with a high level of autonomy
• Exceptional organizational skills & ability to manage multiple projects and