Senior Scientist, R&D - Product Development

About the role

Kraft Heinz is hiring a Senior Scientist for R&D product development in Glenview, Illinois, within the Away From Home / KHI business. The role leads product development across several cross-functional projects and product categories, covering innovation, renovation and brand maintenance work.

Key responsibilities

• Independently lead product development projects from formulation through scale-up and start-up, translating business objectives into development plans and driving them to commercialization.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to advance projects, resolve technical issues and meet business timelines.
• Serve as the R&D point of contact for manufacturing plants, supporting troubleshooting, process design and product quality issues to maintain business continuity.
• Lead product testing, qualification and commercialization in laboratory, pilot plant and production environments.
• Write specifications and maintain high-quality documentation supporting consistent, high-quality products.
• Manage technical timelines, risks and multiple priorities, including planned and unplanned brand maintenance work.
• Monitor category trends and competition, assist in scoping early-stage innovation ideas and run lab, pilot plant and manufacturing trials to optimize formulations and processing systems.
• Travel about 30% to internal plants, co-manufacturers, suppliers and other business locations in the United States.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Life Sciences or a related field, plus at least 4 years of product development experience in CPG, food and beverage or a related industry; or a master's degree with 3 years, or a PhD with 2 years of relevant experience.
• Proven ability to lead product development and commercialization across multiple projects and priorities.
• Willingness to travel 30% and to lift up to 30 lbs and move around lab, storage, pilot plant and manufacturing environments.

Required skills

• Strong knowledge of ingredients, product formulation, processing systems, ingredient interactions and laboratory test methods.
• Ability to design effective experiments, interpret results and adjust plans.
• Project management, communication and problem-solving skills in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.

What we offer

• New hire base salary range of $89,800 to $112,200, with eligibility for a performance-based bonus.
• Healthcare coverage for employees and eligible dependents, plus medical, prescription drug, dental and vision plans.
• Paid time off, company holidays, leave of absence and flexible work arrangements.
• Employee assistance program, wellbeing programs and training.
• Financial benefits such as 401k, life insurance and disability coverage.