Position Description:

Leads the technical development, scale-up, and lifecycle support of new products and processes in partnership with corporate sales, customers, and leadership.

Primary Responsibilities:

Product Development & Formulation

• Develops product prototypes through bench-top formulation and iterative testing.
• Designs new products and improves existing formulations that translate successfully to full-scale production while meeting culinary, financial, nutritional, and customer expectations.
• Researches ingredient and tests technologies to support product development and continuous improvement initiatives.

Process Development & Scale-Up

• Supports pilot and commercial-scale trials by providing technical preparation, on-site execution support, and post-trial evaluation.
• Adapts formulations and processes to meet the technical and operational capabilities of the assigned manufacturing facility.
• Collaborates with Operations to optimize processes and production performance within approved product specifications.
• Applies food safety, quality, and shelf-life principles during development and scale-up to ensure consistent product performance.
• Supports yield improvement and cost-reduction initiatives by analyzing process performance, material usage, and formulation efficiency

Commercialization & Cross-Functional Support

• Supports product commercialization activities by providing technical input, formulation expertise, and process knowledge.
• Schedules, supports, and leads product evaluations for internal screenings and customer presentations.
• Communicates with internal stakeholders and customers regarding product development progress as needed.
• Identifies, evaluates, and implements cost-saving opportunities related to formulation and process changes in support of ongoing product optimization.
• Serves as technical owner for assigned products post-commercialization, supporting continuous improvement, issue resolution, and product consistency over the product lifecycle

Regulatory, Quality & Documentation

• Reviews and proofs product labels to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Creates, manages, and maintains product and process specifications in the PLM system.
• Documents and reports project activities related to product development, commercialization, and ongoing product improvements.
• Maintains accurate project records and completes required departmental administrative tasks related to development and commercialization activities.

General Responsibilities

• Orders ingredients and materials required for bench and plant trials.
• Supports department and company objectives.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Supervisory/Management Responsibilities:

• Not Applicable

Core Values:

• We take pride in what we do
• It’s a privilege to serve each other, our customers and the community
• We embrace our legacy and build for the future
• We make decisions and commit
• We are a team that plays to win

Competencies:

• Results Orientation: The ability to focus on the desired result of one’s own or one’s unit’s work, setting challenging goals, focusing effort on the goals, and meeting or exceeding them.
• Customer Focus: Pursuit of the highest level of customer service; anticipate the customer’s future needs and trends; identify opportunities to benefit customers; strive to resolve customer concerns; and offer advice and guidance in responding to customer inquiries.
• Forward Thinking: The ability to anticipate the implications and consequences of a situation and take appropriate action to be prepared for possible contingencies.
• Action Orientation: Maintaining a sense of urgency to complete a task. Seeks information rather than waiting for it.
• Communication: The ability to give and gather information and actively manage the communication process by asking questions, conveying complex information in plain language, listening and considering others’ views, state own views clearly and concisely, and address conflict in a professional and productive manner.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Meat Science, Food Science, Food Process Engineering, or another related field
• 3-5 years of food product development experience with a bachelor’s degree
• 2+ years of food product development experience with an advanced degree
• Knowledge of food processing technologies
• Knowledge of microbiology and product shelf life control
• Knowledge of USDA and FDA regulations
• Strong working knowledge of computers, specifically Microsoft Office products
• Travel approximately 10-30% of time
• Spend approximately 10-15% of time in the manufacturing plant
• Ability to stand for long periods (10-15%) of time in plant conditions/cold temperatures (40-50°F)
• Ability to lift 50 lbs.
• Can work independently, skilled at planning, organizing, prioritizing, and executing simultaneous projects and activities
• Ability to coordinate and collaborate with cross-functional teams during all stages of development
• Effectively deal with ambiguity and changes consistent with a fast-paced growing company

Preferred:

• Meat manufacturing experience
• Experience working in a USDA regulated facility
• Lean/Six Sigma certification
• Bilingual, English/Spanish preferred
• Strong communication and technical writing skills

About Miniat Holdings, LLC

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