Food Scientist

Do you love snacks? Are you looking to join an ever evolving and rapidly growing team? PIM Brands might just be exactly what you’re looking for! At PIM, We Make The Brands You Love®. Our portfolio of products, from Welch’s® Fruit Snacks to Sun-Maid® Chocolate Raisins and Sour Jacks® Sour Candies are enjoyed by millions of consumers every day. And when it comes to careers, we seek talented, results-oriented individuals who want to play a part in building amazing brands and products while working in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-paced office environment.

At PIM, you can make an immediate and lasting contribution to help grow iconic snack and confectionery brands, no matter your area of expertise. We are looking for a Food Scientist interested in a career with a top ranked and growing snack company, to join our Quality Control department at PIM’s Somerset New Jersey location. This position will report to our ___________.

The Food Scientist is responsible for applying food science and engineering principles to the research, development, formulation, testing, scale-up, and commercialization of new and existing snack products.

This position plays a key role in developing innovative products and improving existing products with a focus on flavor, color, texture, quality, functionality, shelf life, manufacturability, and consumer acceptance.

The Food Scientist will develop product formulations and prototypes, evaluate ingredients, establish processing parameters, conduct laboratory and pilot testing, coordinate manufacturing trials, and support successful product start-ups. This role works cross-functionally with R&D, Process Engineering, Quality Assurance/Quality Control, Production, Packaging, Procurement, and Marketing to ensure products can be successfully transitioned from concept through full-scale manufacturing.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical food science knowledge with a hands‑on approach to product development and a strong focus on execution and results.

• Develop and improve snack products through benchmarking, formulation, and prototype development.
• Research, evaluate, and approve ingredients, flavors, raw materials, and technologies.
• Improve product flavor, texture, appearance, quality, shelf life, functionality, efficiency, and cost.
• Translate bench-top concepts into formulations suitable for full-scale manufacturing.

• Conduct physical, chemical, analytical, sensory, and shelf-life testing.
• Analyze product and trial results to identify formulation and process improvements.
• Conduct shelf-life studies to evaluate product quality and stability.
• Document testing results, conclusions, and recommendations.

• Develop processing procedures and define critical parameters for new and modified products.
• Coordinate pilot plant and manufacturing trials, scale-up, and commercialization.
• Partner with Engineering and Production to ensure products perform effectively in full-scale manufacturing.
• Troubleshoot formulation and processing issues and recommend solutions.
• Support production start-ups and provide technical assistance during commercialization.

The employee must be able to:

• Stand and walk for extended periods during pilot and manufacturing trials.
• Work safely in laboratory, pilot plant, and production environments.
• Handle ingredients, product samples, laboratory equipment, and testing materials.
• Bend, reach, and perform tasks associated with product preparation and evaluation.
• Lift and/or move materials and product samples in accordance with company safety requirements.
• Wear required personal protective equipment while working…