Product Developer / Sr Food Scientist

Job ID: EB-4042188714
Job Title: Product Developer / Sr Food Scientist
Location: Waukegan, IL

Reports to: Director, R&D, dotted line to Director, Business Development (Sales)

Supervises: No Direct Report

Travel: >25%

Job Classification: In Office

Department: Commercial / Research & Development

POSITION TITLE: Product Developer / Food Scientist

SUMMARY: Woodland Gourmet is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Food Scientist/Product Developer to join our dynamic and growing R&D team. This role is critical to our mission of developing innovative, custom dry ingredient solutions that deliver exceptional taste, texture, and functionality for our clients in the restaurant and foodservice industry. This candidate will have proven experience in elevating, through science, technical / flavor capability to develop competitive, differentiated solutions. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of working collaboratively with restaurant chain Research & Development (R&D) and culinary teams to create tailored products that drive menu differentiation and consumer appeal.

This role will report directly into the Director, Research & Development, but will have a dotted line reporting structure to the Director, Business Development (Sales). This candidate will be part of a team (Sales, R&D, Research Chef) that will be responsible for bringing in the next 2-4 major chain accounts, partnering with Woodland Gourmet on custom solutions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Product Development: Lead the ideation, formulation, and development of custom dry blend products in collaboration with restaurant chain R&D and culinary teams.
• Customer Collaboration: Act as a technical expert and partner to customers, understanding their needs, translating them into actionable product concepts, and presenting solutions.
• Flavor Innovation: Leverage flavor houses and ingredient suppliers to design unique, differentiated flavor profiles aligned with market trends and customer requirements.
• Prototype Creation: Develop and refine prototypes to support customer presentations, scaling formulations for manufacturing while maintaining quality and consistency.
• Project Management: Manage multiple development projects simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery of milestones, samples, and technical documentation.
• Technical Leadership: Provide expertise in ingredient functionality, process optimization, and formulation troubleshooting during product development and scale-up.
• Market Insights: Stay informed on food trends, consumer preferences, and emerging technologies to identify innovation opportunities for the foodservice sector.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with internal teams, including Sales, R&D, Quality Assurance, and Operations, to align product development efforts with business objectives.
• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all products meet regulatory, labeling, and customer specifications, including allergens and nutritional requirements.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE:

• Education, Background and Experience:
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Culinary Science, or a related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• Minimum 10+ years of direct experience in food product development, with a strong focus on collaborating with restaurant chain R&D and culinary teams.
• Experience in 3 different channels (ex: retail, industrial, ingredients)
• Demonstrated success in developing innovative products tailored to foodservice needs. Experience spans 5+ categories (meals, snacks, proteins, sauces, sides, desserts, etc.) demonstrating application expertise in a variety of products.
• Has commercialized 25+ products (direct or indirect via customer)
• Has 2-3 examples of successful company process improvements (be it business processes/operating models, productivity opportunities, or literal manufacturing process opportunities)
• Active in 1-2 professional technical industry communities (IFT, etc.)

Skills & Knowledge:

• Demonstrated track record of successfully delivering R&D projects on time and within budget.

• Expertise in dry ingredient blending, formulation, and manufacturing processes.
• Strong understanding of ingredient functionality (e.g., flavors, stabilizers, emulsifiers) and how to apply them in custom blends.
• Ability to translate culinary insights into commercialized products that align with customer objectives.

• Excellent project management skills and the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously with attention to detail.

• Proficiency in food safety standards, regulatory compliance, and labeling requirements.

• Strong communication and presentation skills to engage effectively with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Experience collaborating with customers to deliver custom product innovation, engaging, and influencing to deliver against commitments within competitive and changing environments.
• A passion for all things food and culinary as the is part of the heritage of the company and one that continues to grow and evolve.
• Balance of accountability and ownership of their activities while also understanding the importance and necessity of cross-functional collaborative teamwork.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills; inspires and influences collaboration across all cross-functional disciplines toward continuous improvement of efficiency and quality.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate, drive partnerships and allocate resources is essential.

For additional information please get in touch with Owen Carryl at 972-265-5307 or ocarryl@kbic.com