Food Scientist - Packaging Innovation

Food Scientist - Packaging Innovation & R&D

Position Summary

Our client, a global chemical corporation, is seeking a highly motivated Food Scientist to support packaging innovation through research and development, application testing, and market development activities at their cutting edge R&D facility in Texas. This role will focus on the design and execution of food stability studies utilizing company plastic packaging technologies, as well as hands-on packaging trials including extrusion, forming, sealing, and filling operations.

The successful candidate will translate technical findings into application data, technical reports, and training materials for internal and external stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Design, execute, and analyze food stability and shelf-life experiments using plastic packaging technologies
Develop and optimize packaging solutions for food applications, balancing performance, cost, and regulatory requirements
Conduct extrusion trials on film and cast processes to evaluate material performance and processing behavior
Support development of new packaging structures and applications in collaboration with internal R&D and engineering teams
Generate application data to support market development and customer-facing technical discussions
Translate laboratory and pilot-scale findings into commercially relevant recommendations
Support customer trials and technical evaluations related to food packaging performance
Manually coordinate and support form, fill, and seal (FFS) packaging activities, including setup, troubleshooting, and data collection
Work closely with operations, engineering, and external partners to ensure successful execution of trials
Prepare clear, concise technical reports, experimental summaries, and data presentations
Develop training materials and technical documentation for internal teams, customers, and partners
Maintain accurate records of experimental design, results, and conclusions

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Food Technology, or a related field.
Minimum of 2 years of relevant experience in food science, packaging R&D, or food packaging applications

Experience with food stability testing, shelf-life studies, and packaging performance evaluation
Hands-on experience with extrusion processes (film and/or cast) and form-fill-seal packaging preferred
Knowledge of flexible packaging materials and multilayer structures; experience with plastic materials is highly desirable
Familiarity with experimental design, data analysis, and technical reporting
Understanding of food packaging regulations and quality requirements
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
Effective written and verbal communication skills
Ability to manage multiple projects and collaborate across cross-functional teams
Willingness to work hands-on in lab, pilot, and plant environment.
Ability to travel 30-40%