PRIMARY FUNCTION: The Food Technologist supports and assists the Food Concept & Development Mgr(s) in the development of new product and commercialization to develop first class poultry derived products including ensuring compliance with all regulations and legal requirements.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

• Participate in product development projects which may be larger in scale or higher complexity including development of benchtop prototype products, interaction and communication with internal or external customers, and the development and maintenance of organized documentation processes, updating as necessary

• Develop and improve the project summary process as needed

• Assist in the commercialization of products helping to ensure product and processes meet all internal guidelines and external regulatory and legal requirements

• Perform required data entry/ modification required for the commercialization process of key projects in Optiva or other software including formula finalization, procurement of ingredient and packaging regulatory and purchasing documents, specification development, obtaining customer specification sign-off and validation of cooking or reconstitution instructions

• Partner with internal departments (Scheduling, Operations, QA, and R&D project managers to coordinate plant scale up activities (i.e. protocol pre and post meetings, data collection protocol, specification changes, etc.)

• Wear and ensure other wear all required personal protection equipment in areas where mandatory promoting a zero-accident environment

• Perform other duties as assigned

SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• This is an individual contributor position with the required competencies: Functional/ Technical Skills, Action Oriented, Problem Solving, Learning on the Fly, and Interpersonal Savvy

EDUCATION and CERTIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors degree in Food Science or other closely related field of study from an accredited institution

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

• Minimum three (3) years related experience in food product development; experience with product development within the poultry industry preferred

• Demonstrated leadership skill including conflict resolution; leadership of a team preferred

• Demonstrated technical expertise with the ability to apply continuous process improvement skills to on-going projects

• Experience in participating in or assisting with project management from inception, monitoring, follow-up through completion

• Knowledge of practical laboratory skills and basic understanding of statistics

• Strong computer literacy

• Must have good communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to communicate with all levels of the organization and in a timely and professional manner

• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to prioritize projects, planning skills, and a high attention to detail

• Must possess a strong customer-centric attitude, high energy level and a strong sense of urgency

SAFETY REQUIREMENTS:

• Follow departmental and company safety policies and programs

• Wear required protective equipment in all areas where mandatory

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• May be required to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally

• Ability to work extended or unusual shifts if needed (Weekend, holiday or extended) to meet deadline

• Ability to move freely about the facilit