Senior R&D Food Scientist

Butterball, LLC, one of America's most iconic brands, helps consumers celebrate Thanksgiving and every day in between. Located in the thriving Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area, our goal is to provide a diverse array of career opportunities and paths which include our farms, processing facilities and support offices. We are the largest producer of turkey products in the U.S., and we make a lot more than Thanksgiving turkeys. Our company's measurable growth is in no small part due to our team members in North Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois, and Missouri, who each have a seat at the table to contribute to our success

Job Summary:

The Senior Research & Development (R&D) Food Scientist is pivotal in leading and driving the development and enhancements of food products. This role involves spearheading new product initiatives and optimizing existing formulations and processes. This individual will manage and coordinate key projects from concept to commercialization, ensuring seamless execution and delivery. Additionally, the Senior R&D Food Scientist will oversee the precise documentation and maintenance of product specifications while proactively collaborating with strategic vendor partners to explore and integrate innovative ingredients, processing methods, and packaging technologies.

Essential Functions, Duties & Responsibilities:

• Organizes and manages the R&D activities of assigned projects to ensure work is properly prioritized and completed in a timely manner to deliver results.

• Leads new product projects from conception to commercialization by working with Sales, Marketing, Operations, Purchasing, and Quality Assurance (QA).

• Maintains external and marketplace awareness related to new concepts, products, ingredients, and technologies.

• Proactively engages team members to communicate and leads technical support for development of new products and technologies.

• Identifies and recommends new raw materials, ingredients, materials, and processes that improve products and reduce cost.

• Identifies, tests, and implements new processes and product formulas that lead to new products, cost savings and quality improvements.

• Accurately documents and records critical process steps in product specifications to ensure gold standard product and processing techniques are clearly defined.

• Demonstrated technical proficiency with a minimum of two product lines / categories and serve as the technical resource for problem solving and support to the operations and QA teams to ensure product excellence and cost efficiency.

• Acts as the technical expert to the Marketing and Sales teams to service existing customers and help gain new ones.

• Facilitates continuous improvement opportunities and solutions directed at improving profitability, product quality, food safety and capital avoidance.

• Actively seeks to enhance technical proficiency through projects, seminars, professional conferences, and training programs.

• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent written and verbal communication, and strong interpersonal skills; capability of delivering clear guidance with patience and understanding.

• Strong understanding and mastery of poultry science/poultry processing, marination, ingredient technology, product formulations, and meat science principles.

• Experience with new product launches.

• Firm problem-solving and creative thinking skills.

• Demonstrated ability to use new technology to significantly improve profitability, product quality, food safety and manufacturing complexity issues.

• Experienced with scientific research concepts, data collection, data analysis, resolving routine challenges, and collaborating seamlessly across functions.

• Familiarity with regulatory requirements in the food industry

• Solid project management skills with the ability to drive results.

• Proficient with Microsoft Suites (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Projects, etc.), Smartsheet, and/or related project management tools.

Education & Experience:

• B.S. degree in Food Science, Poultry Science, Biochemistry, or related field required.
• 5+ years of industry experience collaborating and/or leading R&D projects with the ability to manage moderately complex projects.
• 3-5 years of Plant level Operational experience in Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) [ex. quality, production, inventory management, etc.] is highly desired.

Working Conditions:

• Office and Plant work environments. Possibility of being exposed to varying conditions in the Plant setting, such as cold areas, warm areas, chemicals, and other site conditions.

• Physical requirements of the position include sitting, standing, and walking for prolonged periods of time.

• Readiness and flexibility to occasionally work hours outside of normal day shift hours.

• Willingness and ability to travel up to 50% of the time.

• Requires a least 2 days per week in an operational facility, potentially more pending project needs.

• Travel to plant facilities as needed for conduction pilot plant testing, commercialization scale up support, and capturing data.

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of what is required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not imply or establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer.

Butterball, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the fair and impartial treatment of all employees and applicants for employment without regard to gender, age, race, religion, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, military/veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of what is required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not imply or establish a contract for employment and are subject to change at the discretion of the employer. Butterball, LLC is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to the fair and impartial treatment of all employees and applicants for employment without regard to gender, age, race, religion, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, military/veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, parental status, pregnancy, or any other status protected by law. This position is deemed Safety Sensitive for purposes of Butterball's Drug/Alcohol Screening & Testing Policy. Details will be provided to individuals who receive a conditional job offer, or upon request.