Senior Food Scientist

Overview

Senior Food Scientist – This R&D and food safety technical leader is responsible for driving product research and development while ensuring the highest standards of quality and microbiological integrity. This role provides scientific oversight across formulation, process development, validation, and risk assessment, serving as the subject matter expert for regulatory compliance and quality systems. The position collaborates cross-functionally with Quality, Operations, Sales, Regulatory Affairs, and Supply Chain to support commercialization, continuous improvement, and risk mitigation.

Mid-States Specialty Eggs is seeking an innovative leader with R&D expertise, hands-on expertise in egg products and processing, and applicable knowledge of USDA egg products regulations, FSMA, HACCP, GFSI standards, and export compliance requirements. This role will focus on developing new products, reformulating existing SKUs, and collaborating with Sales to drive product innovation. The ideal candidate will have experience in food product development and a deep understanding of egg-based products, formulations, and requirements.

Position is onsite at our Sedalia, MO and Smithton, MO processing facilities.

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis. The Company does not provide visa sponsorship for this role.

• Research & Development (R &
  
  D)

• Develop and refine egg-based products to meet market demands and customer needs.
• Lead formulation, process development, and optimization of liquid, frozen, and dried egg products and egg-based ingredients.
• Apply expertise in egg functionality (foaming, emulsification, coagulation, color, flavor) to meet customer and application-specific requirements.
• Provide technical expertise in egg processing technologies, including pasteurization, thermal processing, drying (spray, pan, or other), freezing, and stabilization systems.
• Evaluate ingredient interactions, processing parameters, and storage conditions affecting functionality, safety, and shelf life.
• Support development and validation of further-processed egg products, including blended, stabilized, enzymatically treated, or value-added formulations.
• Design and execute pilot trials, plant trials, and scale-up activities; evaluate processing impacts on functionality, microbiology, and shelf life.
• Reformulate existing SKUs to improve quality, cost-efficiency, or compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Work closely with Sales on product innovation projects.
• Conduct research on industry trends, ingredient functionality, and competitive products.
• Collaborate with production and quality teams to ensure successful product scale-up.
• Maintain accurate records of formulations, trials, and test results.

• Food Safety

• Serve as technical authority on food safety and microbiology for egg processing, with emphasis on control, lethality validation, and post-lethality contamination prevention.
• Lead microbiological risk assessments for liquid, frozen, and dried egg products, including challenge studies and shelf-life evaluations.
• Review and trend microbiological data (product, environmental, and process monitoring) and provide technical guidance on corrective actions.
• Support development, review, and maintenance of HACCP, HARPC, and FSMA preventive control programs specific to egg products.

• Quality & Regulatory Compliance

• Provide scientific review and approval of product specifications, process validations, and quality standards for egg ingredients and finished goods.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulations and standards, including USDA/FSIS Egg Products regulations, FDA/FSMA requirements, GFSI schemes, SQF, and/or exporting requirements.
• Support internal, customer, and regulatory audits; address technical findings related to microbiology, processing, and product quality.
• Collaborate with Quality and Operations on root cause analysis, deviation management, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Leadership

• Author and review technical reports, validation protocols, SOPs, risk assessments, and regulatory documentation.
• Communicate complex scientific findings to…