Position Title: Sr. Research Scientist
Reports to Title: Sr. R&D Manager
Dept / Function: Global Research & Development
Location: El Salto, Jalisco
**Summary**:
The primary purpose of this job is the development of product and process for the S&R Business unit.
- Ensure project execution and technology transfer.
- Observe, record, and evaluate experimental data to draw conclusions.
- Prepare project reports and presentations.
- Support technical capabilities of vendors of ingredient, contract manufacturers and inhouse manufacturing needs, participate in negotiations when technical requirements are involved.
- Perform prototyping and development from bench top to pilot plant to full manufacturing scale.
- Develops protocols to scale up a product from bench top to manufacturing lines.
Documents and communicates accordingly, following the Innovation Stage Gate process.
- Collaborates with the Technical community sharing information and taking advantage of the existing knowledge.
- Leverages technical vendor capabilities in product design.
- Supports product/process optimizations and provides input into the evaluation of contract manufacturing opportunities as needed.
- Identifies and suggest the incorporation of technology and processing enablers into product design when needed.
Able to bring creativity to new ideas on products and process across the product range.
- Delivers the S&R innovation annual pipeline securing technical readiness and successful design of products, demonstrating expertise and resourcefulness.
- While championing the consumer, identifies and execute continuous improvement projects.
- Ensuring that the R&D Mexico team follows proper procedures across the organization, to document work (Stage gate, QRC regulatory requests, SQM process, PLM, ELN, etc).
This role will interact and partner with:
- Technical and professional employees within Global R&D
- Supply Chain: Manufacturing, Operations, Plant Quality Assurance, Quality and Regulatory Compliance, Procurement, Engineering.
- Marketing, Innovation and Consumer Insights
- External Vendors
**Major duties / responsibilities**:
- New Product Development
- Continuous Improvement Program
- Core Brand Maintenance
- Knowledege and capabilities Development
**Skills and abilities required**:
- Solid experience in Confectionery technologies: ingredient functionality, formula development, process platforms and key processing parameters.
- Solid experience in Product Development function from benchtop to plant implementation.
- Strong knowledge in lab, pilot plant, commissioning and production line start-up of process equipment and systems, and troubleshooting.
- Solid knowledge in mass and heat balance and unit operations.
- Experience operating plant and, lab and analytical equipment.
- Project administration skills: trials plan, technical status reports, presentations, timetables, risk mitigation and trials budget.
- Cost optimization of formulas, develop ingredients and product meeting internal/external quality standards, nutritional and regulations restrictions.
- Build and maintain successful networking relationships with all the cross functional team (Regional and International) sharing best practices.
- Basic Experience in various technical disciplines (Sensory, Experimental Design & Statistic, Product Design, Engineering, Packaging, Nutritional, Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory).
- Basic Knowledge in equipment selection and acquisition.
- Project administration skills: trials plan, technical status reports, presentations, timetables, risk mitigation and trials budget.
- Build and maintain successful networking relationships with all the cross functional team (Regional and International) sharing best practices.
- Establish a strong relationship with suppliers to identify ingredients and product trends to enhance product design.
- Basic knowledge analyzing competitors to identify potential opportunities for core product optimization.
- Leadership skills working as an individual contributor and team player.
- Excellent verbal and written communications skills (Fluent communication in Spanish & English).
- Possess good computer skills (basic office, statistics, SAP).
**Education**:
B.S.
Food Scientist, Chemist or Engineer.
Or Chemical or Biotechnology Engineering
**Experience**:
5-7 years of experience in the Food Industry, with experience on product development of Confections (alternatively in chocolate category)
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