Associate Research & Development Scientist

• Location 450 C.P. Avenue,Lake Mills, WI, 53551,United States

We are seeking a highly motivated Associate R&D Scientist - Product Commercialization & Specifications - to join our Research & Development team. This role supports the successful commercialization of new products and maintenance of existing products through specification management, product setup, documentation, sensory evaluation, and project execution activities. The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, and eager to learn the end-to-end commercialization process within a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.

This position plays a critical role in ensuring accurate product data, supporting plant trials and validations, and maintaining the systems and documentation necessary to bring innovative products to market efficiently and accurately. It provides an opportunity to build a strong foundation in food product commercialization, specification management, and product lifecycle support while developing the skills necessary for future growth within Research & Development.

• Create, update, and maintain product specifications, formulations, nutritional data, and multi-component product documentation with a high degree of accuracy.
• Support new item setup and product lifecycle management through ERP workflow routing, system maintenance, and data management.
• Coordinate and support production trials, plant validations, and commercialization activities for new and existing products.
• Maintain ingredient, packaging, supplier, and finished product specifications.
• Support product renovation and continuous improvement initiatives to meet business, customer, quality, and regulatory requirements
• Maintain data within nutritional labeling software.
• Support Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) initiatives through collection and maintenance of packaging component and material information.
• Support sensory evaluation and analysis of raw materials and finished products, including dairy and bakery products.
• Assist in troubleshooting technical issues related to products, ingredients, specifications, and manufacturing processes.
• Participate in cross-functional project teams and support project execution through timely communication of status, timelines, and deliverables.
• Support Customer Service by providing technical information and responding to customer and consumer inquiries as needed.
• Coordinate innovation sample processing, product shipments, shelf-life studies, and sensory evaluations for products under development and maintenance.

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Food Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
• Internship, co-op, or professional experience in the food industry.
• Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and deadlines simultaneously.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within a team environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Ability to learn and work within ERP, specification management, and product development systems.

• Experience with food product development, commercialization, and specification management.
• Familiarity with Genesis R&D or similar nutrition labeling software.
• Working knowledge of food regulations, nutrition labeling requirements, and ingredient compliance.
• Understanding of food chemistry, microbiology, ingredient functionality, and manufacturing processes.
• Exposure to GMP, SQF, HACCP, and food safety programs.
• Experience working with cross-functional…