CD&D Beverage Scientist Alcohol - Erlanger, KY

Job Description

CD & D Beverage Scientist Alcohol - Erlanger, KY

This is an exempt, salaried-level role.

ADM is seeking a Beverage Scientist to join our Creation, Design & Development (CD&D) team. This is a hands‑on role responsible for beverage formulation, scale‑up, and innovation of alcoholic products, leveraging ADM’s diverse portfolio of ingredients, including flavors, sweeteners, proteins, and functional systems. You’ll partner with customers and cross‑functional teams to develop tailored beverage solutions that align with market trends and ADM’s strategic growth.

Ideal candidates bring strong food science expertise, practical experience in product development and processing, and a passion for turning ideas into shelf‑ready products. This role is based in Erlanger, KY but travel may be needed to other ADM North American sites for project and scale‑up work.

• Develop and optimize formulations for a wide range of beverage applications, with an emphasis on alcohol products, using ADM’s ingredients (flavors, sweeteners, proteins, colors, etc.).
• Scale up prototypes and lead transition from bench‑top development through commercialization.
• Independently design and execute experiments to evaluate ingredient performance and formulation stability.
• Serve as the technical lead on cross‑functional project teams, collaborating with R&D, commercial, regulatory, and operations.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with external customers and internal stakeholders to align on product goals and timelines.
• Characterize ingredient functionality and proactively troubleshoot formulation or processing challenges.
• Support ADM’s innovation pipeline by identifying trends, applying food science and processing knowledge, and contributing to ideation sessions.
• Travel to ADM facilities and customer sites as needed to support project execution, pilot trials, and scale‑up activities.

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience in beverage product development, preferably within CPG companies, flavor houses, or ingredient manufacturers; experience with alcoholic beverage development is strongly preferred.
• Proven track record of beverage formulation, with working knowledge of key ingredient systems and processing methods.
• Strong understanding of food chemistry, including proteins, carbohydrates, and emulsions.
• Experience with beverage manufacturing processes, including pasteurization, homogenization, carbonation, and aseptic techniques.
• Familiarity with FDA food labeling regulations and nutritional claims, as well as TTB regulations related to alcoholic beverages.
• Excellent project management and problem‑solving skills; able to prioritize and drive multiple initiatives forward.
• Competency in data analysis, experimental design, and technical reporting.
• Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills; ability to present technical content to internal and external audiences.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint); experience with formulation software is a plus.
• Willingness to travel up to 25% across North American ADM sites.

Excited about this role but don’t think you meet every requirement listed? We encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings.

ADM requires the successful completion of a background check.

Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. Hourly and salaried non‑exempt employees will also be paid overtime pay when working qualifying overtime hours.

When hired, employees will be in an “at‑will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base pay (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

The pay range for this position is expected to be between:

$63,900.00 - $

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