Sr. Food Scientist
Job Overview
BUILT ON FLAVOR. FUELED BY PEOPLE.
What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? Well, there’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there’s also plenty of hard work. Because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it.
With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.
As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.
How you'll have an impact at Kinder’s: The Senior Food Scientist provides technical support for all food product development activities for sauces and/or seasoning/rub projects from concept through commercialization. Emphasis on bench-top formulation, quality management processes, and documentation including managing project trackers.
What You'll Be Doing:
- Design and execute product development innovation, renovation, cost optimization and quality initiatives. Follow-through on product refinements based on PD, Marketing, and Customer feedback.
- Leverage vendor capabilities and co-packers to expand formulation possibilities, new ingredients, product technologies and to increase speed to market.
- In conjunction with Culinary Team, manage internal cuttings including coordinating sensory panels, tabulating results, and providing guidance on product development.
- Interface product formulations with nutritional guidelines and cost constraints.
- Provide support at contract manufacturers for new product launches including plant trials and start of production. Confirm specifications are met for product, package, and process. Coordinate logistics for plant trial unique raw materials and sample delivery/acquisition.
- Design and conduct shelf-life stability testing for new products.
- Create finished product specifications and maintain formula/raw material databases.
- Develop regulatory information related to label compliance including nutritionals, ingredients, and product claims such as organic, Non-GMO, gluten-free.
- Support food safety and quality processes by:
- Participation in auditing raw materials and contract manufacturers
- Evaluating first production samples
- Providing input on food safety policies, standards, and procedures for product, packaging, and process changes.
What You Bring to the Table:
- B.S. in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or a similar discipline.
- 6-10 years of experience as a Food Scientist or in Product Development.
- Knowledge of food manufacturing, formulation and ingredient functionality for sauces.
- Some understanding of food safety and microbiology.
- Some knowledge of packaging technology to evaluate adequacy of packaging.
- Some knowledge of food labeling regulations.
- Some knowledge of sensory evaluation procedures.
- Excellent time management skills, sense of urgency, and desire to complete all assignments on a timely basis.
- Must be able to travel up to 20% of time.
Personal Characteristics
- Thrive in a dynamic, lean, and agile environment.
- Self-starter who takes initiative and speaks their mind.
- Excited to be part of a fast-moving team with the ability to be a leader and a follower.
The expected starting salary range for this role is $120,000- $135,000 per year. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range based on the location of the role. The amount a particular employee will earn within the salary range will be based on factors such as relevant education, qualifications, performance and business needs.
SEASONED FOR SUCCESS:
- No two days here are the same.
- We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don’t live by hierarchy and structure – everyone is a difference maker here.
- We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information – our team embraces ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
- We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
- We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
- We aren’t trying to be average – we want to do exceptional things, and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.
BENEFITS THAT BRING MORE TO THE TABLE:
We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave. Kinder’s benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.
OUR RECIPE FOR BALANCE:
We believe great culture starts with people. We’re a people-first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work-life balance and personal commitments.
WHERE EVERY INGREDIENT MATTERS:
Kinder's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at [email protected]