Senior Food Scientist

Senior Food Scientist – Responsible for overseeing product development, ensuring quality, and driving innovation in plant-based and ready‑meal solutions.

• Oversee new product development from concept through commercialization for plant-based food or ready‑meal solutions, including sauces.
• Manage product quality for assigned co-packed items and ensure overall product excellence.
• Develop, implement, and maintain the Quality Management Systems (QMS) for assigned products.
• Lead process improvement initiatives focused on quality enhancement and cost reduction, troubleshoot issues related to product quality and productivity; and monitor ongoing performance and improvements for co-packed and imported products.
• Research and source new materials, ingredients, suppliers, and co-packers for both new initiatives and existing product lines.
• Collaborate with vendors, process engineers, food scientists, R&D chefs, and marketing teams to understand available technologies and propose solutions that meet food safety, quality, cost, and customer requirements.
• Identify and evaluate potential co-packers for assigned NPD projects, conduct scale‑up testing, and lead cross‑functional product launches.
• Provide regular updates on all formal R&D project progress using strong project management practices aligned with the NPD process.
• Stay informed about market trends and competitor products across major retailers, recommend relevant product development opportunities, and coordinate cross‑functional activities based on those insights.
• Apply broad knowledge of food science, microbiology, and chemistry to determine root causes of product issues and propose preventative measures.
• Support special projects as needed.
• If you’d like to hear more about this opportunity and others we are currently working on, please contact Mike Ribando at

Seniority level:
Mid‑Senior level

Employment type:

Full‑time
Job function:
Science

Location:

Los Angeles, CA

Salary: $90,000 – $100,000

Benefits available: [Benefits details not provided in the listing]