Product Development Technologist; Agri. Manuf; TN Job in Memphis, Tennessee US

 

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIST; Agricultural Manufacturer; TN

 

Company:

This company is America's leading rice company. For nearly a century, this company has been processing, marketing and distributing rice and rice products throughout the United States and around the world. Today, they are America's first family of rice brands with some of the nation's best-known names in rice.

 

Role Summary

The Food Technologist’s primary responsibilities will be to apply food science and human nutrition education, skills, and training to innovation and project leadership to support of various assigned projected. This role focuses on product development and continuous improvement rice related initiatives for the company. They serve as the technical leader for rice projects including product improvements, new product development, regulations, nutrition and ingredient labeling, quality improvements, customer requests, cost savings initiatives, technology development, and efficient utilization of manufacturing networks. This position will be located at the Memphis, TN facility.

 

Role Responsibilities: 

Technical:              Assist in formulation and development of new rice products to improve formulas and increase profit

a.        Act as technical lead of assigned products and cross functional groups for quality and product development initiatives

b.       Collaborate with vendors and sister companies to source ingredients and develop new products

c.        Assist with design of experiments and conduct pilot plant work such as:

1.       Heat penetration retort tests

2.       Retorted and frozen rice recipes

3.       Match a desired flavor profile

4.       Retort pilot plant operation

d.       Conduct production scale-up and troubleshoot start-up of new products

e.       Develop nutrition facts panel and ingredient statements for new and revised product formulations

f.         Act as regulatory guide

g.        Design, coordinate and conduct sensory panels as needed

h.       Keep abreast of new technical advances and product launches within target application segments and initiate product evaluations and proactive product development

i.         Make technical presentations and promote finished applications

j.         Act as flavor application and development lead for RD group

k.        Conduct and design storage stability studies

 

People:  Educates and trains employees in role

a.        Partner with respective departments (e.g. marketing, quality, operations, engineering) to deliver on project commitments

 

Financial:               Coordinates resources, controls resource costs in line with operating budget

a.        Provides input to budget

b.       Tracks work area standards to budget and explain variances to plan; Recommends corrective action

 

Strategic:               Identifies and implements continuous improvement actions and opportunities

a.        Analyzes processes, systems, equipment and performance trends

b.       Recommends actions required to make improvements

 

QUALIFICATION:

·         B.S. Food Science or Cereal Science; prefer M.S. in Food Science or related field.

·         Strong technical background with experience in developing new products, preferably retorted products

·         1-2 years of prior RD experience in the food industry

·         Rice or cereal-based product development

·         Experience with flavored rice or dry convenience meals

·         Experience with retort processing preferred

·         Focuses on meeting or exceeding goals. Achieves superior performance by setting clear goals and expectations, tracking progress against goals, ensuring feedback, and addressing performance problems and issues promptly

 

Salary: $50K-$55K; Benefits; Relocation Assistance; EOE; No Sponsorship available with the Company