Food Scientist; Ingredient Technology & Innovation

MGP Ingredients is a leading supplier of premium distilled spirits and food ingredient solutions. Its Distilling Solutions segment provides bourbons, whiskeys, ryes, gins, and vodkas to craft and multinational brands. MGP's own Branded Spirts business is growing following the 2021 acquisition of Luxco, a top spirits producer, bottler, supplier, and importer as well as the 2023 acquisition of Penelope Bourbon, known for its wide range of uniquely blended expressions.

Ingredient Solutions delivers nutritional, functional wheat- and pea-based ingredients aligned with consumer trends. The company operates in locations across the Midwestern U.S., and overseas in Northern Ireland and Mexico.

THE OPPORTUNITY:

We are seeking a Food Scientist, Ingredient Technology & Innovation, to provide scientific, technical, and strategic leadership across ingredient innovation, process technology, commercialization, analytical sciences, and customer support initiatives.

This role leads the development and optimization of wheat proteins, wheat starches, resistant starches, and extrusion-based ingredient technologies from concept through commercialization. This position serves as a technical subject matter expert across the Ingredient Solutions organization, supporting R&D, Operations, Quality, Commercial, Marketing, and external customers.

This role focuses on advancing ingredient innovation, product and process development, analytical method development and execution, product commercialization, technical services, customer collaboration, manufacturing support, and strategic business initiatives. The Principal Scientist drives scientific excellence while ensuring successful execution of innovation projects, technology transfer, product launches, and continuous improvement across ingredient platforms.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

• Lead innovation and development initiatives for wheat protein isolates, wheat starches, resistant wheat starches, modified proteins, modified starches, extruded products, and emerging ingredient technologies.
• Design and execute research programs focused on ingredient functionality, structure-function relationships, and performance optimization.
• Evaluate and implement processing technologies, ingredient platforms, and scientific approaches to create value-added ingredient solutions.
• Lead feasibility assessments, proof-of-concept studies, and commercialization strategies for new technologies.
• Support strategic growth initiatives through scientific leadership and innovation planning.
• Lead and execute product development projects from concept through commercialization across multiple ingredient categories.
• Develop formulations, technical specifications, manufacturing parameters, and commercialization plans for new products.
• Lead, plan, and conduct pilot and commercial-scale production trials.
• Support application development activities with novel innovation technologies.
• Collaborate with commercial team to translate customer needs into innovative ingredient solutions and commercialized products.

Process Technology, Scale-Up & Manufacturing Support

• Lead process optimization, scale-up, and commercialization activities for extruded ingredient manufacturing platforms.
• Lead plant trials, commissioning activities, troubleshooting processes, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Partner with operations to improve extruded product process, yield, quality, and product consistency.
• Provide technical support for new product introductions and process modifications.
• Lead cross-functional technology transfer activities between R&D, Quality, Operations, and Commercial.
• Lead extrusion co-manufacturing projects, strategic partnerships, and special business initiatives.

Analyt…