CD&D Technician - Harvard, IL

Job Description

This is a full-time, non-exempt position.

The Creation, Design & Development (CD&D) Technician will support ADM’s North American Pet Division in the development and scale‑up of innovative pet food and treat products. This role involves assisting scientists throughout all stages of product development—from laboratory trials to full‑scale production—and requires meticulous record‑keeping of experiments, tests, industrial trials, and product‑related information. The position is based at ADM’s Harvard, IL facility and involves hands‑on work in a manufacturing environment across multiple processing technologies.

• Support new product development trials by collecting samples, monitoring test results, checking recipes, reporting findings and scaling up issues to the responsible scientist.
• Manage inventory of laboratory supplies, ingredients, packaging materials and samples, ensuring proper organization and adequate stock levels are maintained.
• Analyze and interpret test data, identifying trends, deviations, or opportunities for improvement.
• Maintain and organize the CD&D sample library, ensuring proper storage, labeling and traceability.
• Perform laboratory tasks such as mixing, grinding, labeling, washing utensils and operating equipment (e.g., NIR, pH meters, water activity meters).
• Weigh and batch recipes, making adjustments to bench‑top formulations based on desired product characteristics.
• Support CD&D with document creation and maintenance, including product and ingredient specifications, inputting data, adding images and recording product measurements.
• Measure and document product prototype, finished products and packaging for a wide variety of samples.
• Enter data accurately into multiple databases and shared documents to support record‑keeping and reporting, maintaining accurate logs of data and results.
• Prepare and ship product and packaging samples to external laboratories, customers or other ADM facilities as needed.
• Communicate with Project Scientists, Sales and cross‑functional partners through status updates, emails and sample tracking.

• Education:
  
  Preferably a diploma in Animal Sciences, Food Sciences or Zoology, or alternatively, an AS, BA, BS or High School Diploma.
• Basic Mathematical
  
  Skills:
  
  Comfortable with basic calculations, ratio scaling, fraction proportioning and percentage calculations. Skilled in graphing techniques and predictive modeling.
• Basic Scientific
  
  Skills:
  
  Familiar with common scientific terminology and basic concepts in chemistry and biology.
• Technical
  
  Skills:
  
  Comfortable operating laboratory and pilot equipment; able to perform basic instrument calibration, measurements and data recording.
• Computer
  
  Skills:
  
  Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) and capable of creating, editing and organizing files, spreadsheets and basic presentations.
• Analytical Thinking:
  Demonstrates attention to detail, accuracy in measurements and ability to identify deviations and communicate them to scientists.
• Problem Solving:
  Capable of identifying issues, investigating root causes and proposing practical solutions under minimal supervision.
• Organizational
  
  Skills:
  
  Able to manage multiple tasks, maintain accurate records, track inventories and uphold a clean and organized work environment.
• Communication:
  Communicates clearly and professionally in both written and verbal form with scientists, managers and cross‑functional partners.
• Teamwork:
  Works collaboratively in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional environment, demonstrating flexibility and a proactive attitude.
• Safety and Quality Mindset:
  Follows safety, GMP and quality procedures consistently; contributes to a culture of continuous improvement and compliance.

• Action Oriented:
  Takes initiative and moves quickly from planning execution when given a goal or task. Demonstrates urgency, accountability and follow‑through.
• Applied Learning:
  Quickly absorbs and applies new technical or procedural knowledge from both formal training and on‑the‑job.
• Clear Communication:
  Con…