Senior Principal Process Scientist

Steuben Foods is looking for motivated, team-oriented, and skilled individuals to join our growing team in Elma, NY. At Steuben, we are dedicated to our employees’ career success and support growth within the company. Additionally, we offer a variety of employee benefits, including 401k with company match, as well as an employer-funded retirement plan. If you align with these goals and want to take this great opportunity to join Steuben Foods, apply today!

Location: Elma, NY

Job :1138

# of Openings: 1

The position will serve as a technical liaison between clients and internal manufacturing teams within a co‑manufacturing facility specializing in aseptic packaged beverages and foods. This role is responsible for evaluating client‑owned formulations, identifying optimization opportunities, facilitating pilot and plant trials, and ensuring seamless scale‑up to commercial production. This position will report to the Chief Scientific Officer of the company and will be one of the senior members of the R&D team with supervision responsibilities.

• Attend technical meetings with company clients as requested by business development, brand managers or operations team
• Critically review client‑owned beverage formulations and ingredients, supporting studies, and technical documentation together with scientist team
• Identify risks related to processing, homogenization, aseptic filling, and shelf‑life stability
• Provide science‑based justifications for proposed modifications while maintaining client ownership of recipes
• Design and coordinate bench‑scale (if applicable) and pilot‑scale trials to validate formulation and process changes
• Manage pilot plant and supporting staff
• Developing clear pilot trial objectives, experimental plans, and success criteria
• Analyze trial data and generate technical reports and recommendations for scale‑up readiness
• Ensure trials simulate commercial aseptic conditions as closely as possible
• Support production teams during plant trials and first‑time production runs
• Translate lab/pilot learnings into manufacturing parameters
• Establish and approve final product and intermediate specifications for commercial production
• Provide real‑time technical support to operations, quality, and engineering teams
• Document validated processing parameters and technical standards
• Proactively identify foreseeable risks that could lead to failed runs, rework, or product loss
• Develop preventative technical guidelines to reduce repeat production due to avoidable errors
• Support root cause analysis of formulation or process‑related deviations
• Implement best practices for robust, repeatable aseptic beverage production
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and reduce waste

• Pilot lab staff members (currently two)

• Training in chemical engineering, chemistry or food engineering, bachelor’s degree and above
• At least 5 years of hands‑on experience and proven record of successful process development of food and beverage products, or food ingredient products
• Hands‑on experience in aseptic beverage processing is preferred

This role requires 50% - 80% of the time on the production floor, pilot lab or the R&D lab with occasional hand‑on activities

Salary Range: $120,000 - $150,000

Steuben Foods is committed to equal employment opportunity. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Steuben Foods, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and as such affirms the right of every person to participate in all aspects of employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic. If you are interested in applying for employment and need special assistance or an accommodation to apply for a posted position, contact our Human Resources department via phone at .