The R&D Food Scientist is responsible for developing new products and processes, including product redesign and enhancement. This role supports all channels of business, from consumer retail canned fruit products to fruit purees for foodservice and industrial food manufacturers. At their core, the R&D Food Scientist has an insatiable drive to bring high-quality and delicious fruit to The Oregon Fruit Company’s customers and sustainable profit margins to the company.
Job Duties
- Generate ingredient statements, nutrition facts panels, and allergen reports
- Lead development projects, including sourcing ingredients, creating and validating formulations on bench, participating in and guiding cuttings, and making recommendations for scale-up processing
- Model costs for products in development and work with Finance, Procurement, and Manufacturing to optimize margin
- Prepare for and execute benchtop production runs
- Manage multiple ongoing projects and priorities simultaneously
- Develop, implement, and track SOP’s to guarantee standardization of processes
- Be present on the production floor for the launch of new or enhanced products
- Reinforce continuous adherence to the approved testing methods, protocols, and methodologies
- Collaborate with QA in evaluation of new products, weekly cuttings and other methodologies to guarantee the quality of our products
- Collaborate with QA in the preparation of quality audits such as Non-GMO and BRC to ensure compliance.
- Create and review specification documents for sales products, both domestic and exports
- Ensure FDA rules are in place for all product labels including Nutritional Fact panels, claims, ingredient statements, and others
- Work with equipment suppliers and co-packers during the development of new products
- Represent Oregon Fruit at trade shows and industry events
- Demonstrate a strong commitment to achieving individual and team goals, including good organizational and administration skills in order to self-manage and develop discipline and be flexible and coachable
- Work collaboratively in a team environment with a spirit of cooperation
- Proactive self-starter, with the ability to structure own schedule and meet deadlines
- Maintain punctual, regular, and predictable attendance
- Act at all times with OFC’s Values, Purpose and Vision
Supervisory Responsibilities
This position does not have supervisory responsibilities.
Qualifications
Ability to perform essential job duties with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to safety or health of employee or others. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.
Education & Experience
Bachelor's and or Master’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or other relevant field. A minimum of three (3) years in food product development. Candidates with experience in fruit processing, use of gums, aseptic processes, and canning will have an advantage.
Certificates, Licenses, Registrations
This position does not require any certificates, licenses or registrations. BRC, Lean, 6-sigma and other quality programs are desirable.
Travel Requirement
This position requires up to 10% travel time, including some weekends.
Language Skills
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
Mathematical Skills
Medium to advanced. Clear understanding of statistical concepts: graphs and trend interpretation, computing rates, ratios, and percentages.
Computer Skills
Medium to advanced computer skills including logging onto systems, communicating by email, composing documents, entering database information, creating presentations, downloading forms, and preserving/ backing-up important data.
Reasoning Ability
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions Ability to solve complex problems and deal with a variety of concrete and complex variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Physical Demands & Work Environment
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk, or hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand; walk; sit; use hands handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and taste or smell. The employee is occasionally required to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to work near moving mechanical parts. The employee is occasionally exposed to wet or humid conditions (non-weather); outdoor weather conditions; extreme cold (non-weather); risk of electrical shock and vibration.
The employee must occasionally lift up to 25 lbs and/or move up to 50 pounds. This position requires frequent computer use. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud.
Oregon Fruit Company is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity in the workplace. We encourage applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
