RTD Product Development Contractor

OVERALL FUNCTION:

The Ready to Drink (RTD) Product Development Contractor will play a crucial part in the company's innovation efforts within the Ready to Drink Coffee Category, responsible for leading the development and commercialization of a line of novel, consumer winning RTD coffee beverages. The candidate should bring a minimum of 7 years of product development experience and possess a strong educational background in food science, chemistry, engineering, or industry equivalent. The successful candidate will have a working knowledge of cutting-edge technologies in Ready to Drink formulations, chemical and sensory analysis, production trials, and adherence to company and industry regulations, all while effectively managing external partners and collaborating with cross-functional teams. This role is part-time, with up to 20 hours per week. Light travel may be required (1-3 weeks).

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ideation & development of coffee focused ready to drink beverage products.

• Provide knowledge on cutting edge process & technologies available for coffee RTD manufacturing.

• Maintain a working knowledge of current trends, technologies, ingredients, processes, &/or equipment within the worldwide ready to drink industry.

• Build relationships with suppliers & partners to access ingredients, education, packaging, consulting, technology, manufacturing, etc that could help bring competitive advantage to Peet's.

• General knowledge of food safety and regulatory requirements especially related to low acid beverages and dairy processing.

• Run & monitor bench-top & manufacturing scale-up batches. Test and validate sensory profiles with consumers. Develop and implement analytical test methods to validate product quality and shelf life.

• Independently analyze and interpret data to drive technical understanding, meet project targets and objectives, problem solve, and make recommendations that drive efficiency, knowledge, and manage risk.

• Communicate effectively with internal stakeholders, teams, development and suppliers to convey project information and next steps

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 7+ years of experience in RTD Beverage Development. Coffee and/or dairy experience preferred. General knowledge of new technologies, beverage manufacturing efficiency, quality, and food safety principles.

• Bachelor's or master's degree in food science, Chemistry, Engineering or Food Science or equivalent industry experience preferred.

• Strong technical curiosity and creative problem-solving skills, able to work independently, with a record of innovative technical solutions implemented.

• Passion for the consumer. Ability to use empathy to understand and isolate consumer insights and translate to product design.

• Hands-on focus, sound technical judgment to influence team and business direction.

• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills in a collaborative team environment both internal and external to Peets

Peet's Home Office is a Hybrid worksite, which requires any Home Office employees to work onsite (Emeryville, CA) 3 days per week.

At Peet's we hire the best people and are committed to supporting our employees and rewarding them for their work. The target hourly pay range for this position is $50.00 - 65.00/hour. The actual hourly pay offered depends on a variety of factors, which may include, as applicable, the applicant's qualifications for the position; years of relevant experience; specific and unique skills; level of education attained; certifications or other professional licenses held; other legitimate, non-discriminatory business factors specific to the position; and the geographic location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will perform the job. Peet's offers a generous benefits package to full-time employees, which includes comprehensive health, dental and vision plans; a superior 401(k) plan, various paid time off programs; employee discount/perks; life insurance; disability insurance; flexible spending accounts; and an employee referral bonus program.