Food Technologist

8th Avenue Food & Provisions is a growing organization made up of businesses that produce and sell quality products including pasta, peanut butter, granola, and fruit and nut trail mixes to retail, foodservice and ingredient customers. The company was formed in October 2018 through a combination of Post Holdings' private brands businesses and is owned by Post Holdings and funds affiliated with Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. ("THL"), a private equity firm.

Position Summary:

The Food Technologist is responsible for leading R&D innovation and commercialization with an emphasis on supporting development of granola and innovative products beyond the current product portfolio. Primary responsibilities include developing product formulas, processing procedures, raw material and finished good specifications for new innovative products that extend the companies reach beyond current offerings and establish points of difference with customers and consumers. This includes, but is not limited to, the creation of lab prototypes, raw material, finished good and processing specifications and production formulas.

Duties And Responsibilities:

• Work with business leaders to identify emerging trends and areas of opportunity for break through innovation. Facilitate and foster the ideation of possible new products with an emphasis on establishing points of difference versus competitors, high nutrition/health/wellness, food safety/quality, creativity, and passion for food.
• Plan, execute, and manage the development of prototype products in lab from product development concepts including but not limited to sourcing of new raw materials, packaging materials and research into new product/process/packaging technologies. Maintain stringent technical and experimental documentation.
• Formulate, recommend, and execute research programs for improvement and cost reduction of existing products, the development of new products, processes and raw materials, and development of new business applications for existing core technologies. Consult with customers, sales and marketing, and operations on new product requirements and provide updates via work progress reports.
• Design and implement production test plans and approve new products and processes. Coordinate production tests with Operations and QA.
• Ensure all products meet internal and external guidelines for nutrition, regulatory affairs, and food labeling.
• Conduct research as required to extend shelf life of new or existing products or test new materials.
• Organize and facilitate needed sensory evaluations of raw materials and finished goods. Utilize results to improve product formulation.
• Provide oral and written progress updates to stakeholders and business leaders. Must be able to clearly articulate technical product information in a format that is understandable to non-technical audiences.
• Responsible for supporting and maintaining Food Safety and Quality programs.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Education And Experience Required:

• BS Food Science & Technology, Biochemistry/Microbiology or related scientific field.
• 1 years leadership or supervisory experience.
• 3 years R&D work experience.
• Previous experience with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• An equivalent combination of education and experience could be qualifying.

Preferred Education, Experience, And Skills:

• Previous production, product development and cooking experience beneficial.
• Previous experience working in an analytical laboratory.
• Knowledge of consumer trends in ingredients and nutrition
• Knowledge of food safety, HACCP, and quality regulations and programs
• Working knowledge of the Code of Federal Regulations
• Product development skills
• Strong project management skills
• Ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams
• Ability to document investigations, testing and lab procedures accurately.
• Ability to create, conduct rapid prototyping, development and commercialization of ideas.
• Ability to follow written and scientific procedures and trouble shoot production problems within the context of written guidelines or directives.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong time management, planning and organizational skills.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.

Physical Requirements: Qualified candidates must be able to perform the following physical job requirements, with or without reasonable accommodation:

• Maintain a stationary position at a workstation for extended periods of time.
• Move, traverse the environment and ascend/descend stairs on a frequent basis.
• Transport/move up to 25 pounds and occasional lifting above 25 pounds.
• Use lab equipment - scales, moisture analyzer, and others as needed.
• Safely work in a variety of environments including office, laboratory, and/or manufacturing plant settings where occupational noise and other hazards may exist.
• Communicate information and ideas to others and exchange accurate information.