RD&A Sr. Scientist

Requisition ID: 67022

Position Type: (US)Full Time

Workplace Arrangement: #LI-Onsite

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

Kerry is seeking an experienced and passionate Senior RD&A Scientist with expertise in sauces, dairy products, or related food systems to join our North America R&D team in Beloit, Wisconsin.

In this customer-focused role, you will leverage your technical expertise to develop, optimize, and commercialize innovative wet sauce, dairy, and complete system solutions. You will independently lead projects from concept through commercialization while collaborating with cross-functional partners across Sales, Regulatory, Operations, Finance, Marketing, and Product Management.

The ideal candidate brings strong formulation and troubleshooting capabilities, hands-on product development experience, and a solid understanding of manufacturing processes that enable successful scale-up from bench to production.

Key responsibilities

Product Development & Innovation

• Independently develop and optimize sauce, dairy, and related food products from concept through commercialization.
• Design and execute product development plans utilizing scientific and engineering principles.
• Translate customer briefs into innovative product concepts and prototypes.
• Perform competitive product evaluations and matching exercises.
• Optimize formulations to improve quality, functionality, nutrition, cost, and manufacturability.
• Apply scientific problem-solving techniques to address technical challenges throughout the development process.

Project Leadership

• Lead multiple customer and internal development projects simultaneously.
• Manage projects through all stages of development:
  • Concept Development
  • Bench Formulation
  • Pilot Plant Validation
  • Manufacturing Trials
  • Commercial Launch
  • Ongoing Business Support
• Collaborate with Regulatory, Sales, Operations, Finance, and Quality teams to ensure successful project execution.
• Communicate project updates and technical recommendations to stakeholders.

Customer Engagement

• Serve as a technical partner for both internal and external customers.
• Participate in customer meetings, presentations, innovation sessions, and commercialization discussions.
• Build strong customer relationships through technical expertise and solution-based support.
• Troubleshoot customer manufacturing and product challenges.
• Support business growth through customer-focused innovation and technical excellence.

Manufacturing & Commercialization

• Develop products with commercial scalability in mind.
• Support pilot plant and production-scale trials.
• Understand manufacturing capabilities and constraints to ensure successful scale-up.
• Attend plant trials in person or virtually as required.
• Work closely with operations teams to troubleshoot issues during commercialization.

Laboratory & Technical Excellence

• Formulate and produce samples in laboratory and pilot plant environments.
• Conduct evaluations related to flavor, texture, color, appearance, functionality, and overall product performance.
• Follow best laboratory practices and maintain organized project documentation.
• Utilize sensory, food chemistry, microbiology, and processing knowledge to support product development.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
• Master's degree or advanced degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of food product development experience.
• Experience developing sauces, dairy products, or related food systems.
• Demonstrated success leading projects from concept to commercialization.
• Strong understanding of food processing and manufacturing operations.

Preferred Experience

• Experience supporting customer-facing development activities.
• Knowledge of wet sauce processing, dairy systems, emulsions, stabilizers, hydrocolloids, and ingredient functionality.
• Experience with pilot plant and production-scale trials.
• Previous experience within a food ingredients, flavor, or taste and nutrition organization.

Technical Competencies

• Food Science and Food Chemistry
• Dairy Science and Product Development
• Sauce and Wet Systems Development
• Food Processing & Manufacturing Technologies
• Ingredient Functionality
• Sensory Science
• Microbiology & Food Safety
• HACCP and Quality Systems
• Root Cause Analysis & Problem Solving
• Project Management
• Commercialization & Scale-Up
• Regulatory Awareness
• Works effectively across cross-functional teams.
• Builds relationships based on trust and integrity.
• Successfully operates within a matrix organization.
• Demonstrates ownership of projects and outcomes.
• Delivers results with urgency and quality.
• Promotes Kerry values and a One Kerry mindset.
• Seeks feedback and continuous learning opportunities.
• Maintains technical expertise and industry awareness.
• Must be able to taste and smell food products, ingredients, and flavors.
• Ability to stand for extended periods in laboratory and pilot plant environments.
• Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to travel occasionally for customer visits, trials, and project support.

The pay range for this position is $70,100 - 109,050 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement. This job posting is anticipated to expire on Nov, 30th, 2026.

Kerry is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. Kerry will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen. Additional information can be found at: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (dol.gov).

Beware of scams online or from individuals claiming to represent us. A Kerry employee will not solicit candidates through a non-Kerry email address or phone number. In addition, Kerry does not currently utilise video chat rooms (e.g., Google Hangouts) to conduct interviews. Refuse any request that asks you to provide payment to participate in the hiring process (e.g., purchasing a “starter kit,” investing in training, or something similar). Kerry will not ask you to pay any money at any point in the hiring process with the exception of reimbursable travel expenses. In addition, any payments made by Kerry will be from official firm accounts bearing the Kerry name.

Recruiter:

Posting Type: DNI