Junior Product Developer Research and Development Technician

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Technical Akron, OH, US

5 days ago Requisition

As a member of the R&D team this position supports company innovation projects, research initiatives, and the maintenance of existing products and by providing the technical support necessary to meet company objectives. Responsibilities include benchtop formula development support, assisting with new product commercialization and plant trial initiatives, developing and maintaining related specifications and regulatory information, the assessment of raw materials, and product sensory evaluations.

Additionally, this position collaborates cross functionally with internal and external stakeholders including suppliers, marketing, sales, operations, and procurement. The following duties are typical for this position however; this person may not perform all the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below.

• Provide technical support for the development of new products and improvements to existing juices and beverages.
• Assist with research and development projects through all stages of the process including test protocol development, execution, and data generation & interpretation.
• Investigates methods to improve quality of existing products such as flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, convenience, or physical, chemical, and microbiological composition.
• Develop and maintain finished product and ingredient specifications.
• Support sensory evaluations on new and existing products.
• Assist with customer complaints investigations due to product quality formulation or ingredient issues.
• Assists with new product and packaging commissioning and related life cycle studies.
• Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness and completes projects in timely manner.
• Follows policies and procedures and uses equipment and materials properly.
• Observes safety and security procedures and reports potentially unsafe conditions.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, write and speak clearly and informatively, able to read and interpret technical information.
• Displays good interpersonal skills and is self-motivated and able to work with minimal direction. Strong attention to detail.
• Consistently at work and on time. Commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals.
• Possess the Skills and Knowledge, is able to meet the Physical Demands and perform in the work environment described in the Work Environment section below.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

Education and/or experience

• Two years of experience in food production facilities.

Skills and Knowledge:

Language Skills

• Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos.
• Ability to write simple correspondence.
• Assist with maintenance of regulatory document database.
• Ability to effectively present information in one‑on‑one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

Time Management Skills

• Ability to manage one’s own time to ensure for timely project completion.

Mathematical Skills

• Proficiency with basic to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measurement, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals.
• Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.

Flexibility

• Being open to change and willingness to try all available alternatives when developing new concepts or products.
• Ability to adapt to a fast‑paced environment when priorities change.

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions.
• Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

Computer Skills

• Intermediate Computer Skills
• Experience with MS Office Suite software (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Access).
• Ability to manage customer web‑based application…