Meat Scientist

Pay Range: $130,000+ based on experience and qualifications

The Staff Meat Scientistsupportsthe technical definition of Home Market Foods'ground and comminuted meat blends. This is a hands-on, deep-technical individual contributor role responsible for identifying,validating, and codifying the formula parameters that govern blend composition, yield, texture, and cost across the company's portfolio.

The positionsupportsformulation, yield, and equipment performanceformeasurable, repeatable anchorpointsparticularly as facilities, equipment settings, and raw-material sources evolve. The Staff Meat Scientist translates raw-material variability into controlled, specification-driven blends that deliver consistent quality at planned cost, working at the intersection of procurement and operations.

• Definethe controlling formula parameters for all ground andcomminutedmeat blends — chemical lean (CL) targets, fat analysis and fat capping, protein, moisture, collagen/connective-tissue limits, and added-ingredient functional levels.
• Build andmaintainleast-cost formulation models thatoptimizeacross available trim streams (chemical lean) while holding finished-product specifications constant.
• Establish acceptable substitution ranges and blend tolerances sothatraw-material variability can be absorbed without compromising finished-product specification.
• Translate target eating quality and label requirements into quantitative blend specifications.

• Define, measure, and standardize formulation yields — raw-to-cook yield, purge, shrink, and moisture/fat loss — andestablishthe baseline metrics against which formula and process changes are evaluated.
• Partner with the Industrialization team to quantify the cost and yield impact of formulation decisions, providing Procurement with the technical basis for trim-buying and blend-economic trade-offs.
• Identify the "anchor points" that allow formulation and yield performance to bemonitoredas standing KPIs.

• Lead bench and pilot-plant formulation work and own the transfer of validated formulas to full-scale production.
• Validate that formulas perform reproducibly on existing and newly installed equipment (grinders, mixers/blenders, emulsion mills, formers), characterizing equipment performance anddemonstratedthroughput as inputs to the blend specification.
• Diagnose formulation- and equipment-driven sources of yield loss, texture defects, or quality variance on the production floor, and define corrective specifications.
• Support the technical evaluation of capital equipment by tying vendor performance anddemonstratedrates to formulation and yield outcomes.

• Provide formulation inputsfornew-product development and the Stage Gate process, ensuring new blends are sourceable, manufacturable, and cost-validated.
• Partner withFSQA and R&Dso that blend specifications align with quality, regulatory, and labeling requirements.
• Document all formula parameters, tolerances, and validation results so that blend knowledgeresidesin controlled specifications .

• Bachelor's degree inMeat Science, Animal Science, Food Science, or a closely related discipline (advanced degreea plus).
• Demonstrated hands-on R&D bench and pilot-plant formulation experience with ground or comminuted meat products.
• Working knowledge ofmeat blend composition and functionality— chemical lean and fat analysis, least-cost blending, bind/texture, water-holding capacity, pH, and cook yield.
• Direct experience withplant-floor scale-up and equipment validation— taking a formula from bench to full production and confirming reproducibility on processing equipment.
• Quantitative orientation: comfort building and interpreting formulation, yield, and cost models.
• Proven experience of successfully collaborating across multiple functions, especially R&D, FSQA, Procurement,Production and Finance.

• USDA/FSIS regulatory and labeling fluency (standards of identity, fat/lean labeling, species declaration).
• Familiarity with raw-material markets and trim grading as they…