Research and Development Specialist - Processing

Description

Department: Processing VCQ
Location: Newport

At Pacific Seafood, we do more than just provide the world with the healthiest proteins on the planet. We are a family‑owned, excellence‑driven organization committed to being the brand of choice in the marketplace and the employer of choice in the community. We believe in servant leadership, investing in our team members’ personal and professional growth, and rewarding performance. We live by the core values of our Diamond Philosophy:
Teamwork, Productivity, Quality, and Excellence—which means consistently doing your best and always striving to do better.

The Research and Development Specialist at Pacific Seafood is a key role on our Value Creation and Quality team supporting efforts to meet quality standards, stay innovative, and make data‑driven decisions. This position involves interacting with regulatory agencies, third‑party auditors, and external consultants, and coordinating research activities and is ideal for someone who is proactive in seeking opportunities for process improvement, analytical, and adept at identifying issues.

• Quality Management and Compliance:
  • Perform inspections (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly) and environmental testing of contact surfaces, water, product.
  • Follow‑up on customer complaints.
  • Perform and monitor internal/external audits and inspections to ensure that all standards and requirements are met.
  • Responsible for achievement of department goals and objectives.
  • Identify, investigate, and report on critical quality defects on production processes and products.
  • Determine source of quality variance and specific steps to be taken in correcting the process and product.
  • Remain current on all regulatory requirements and law changes; interpret and implement FDA, ODA, HACCP, SSOP, COOL Act regulations and ensure standards are met.
  • Interact with regulatory agencies and/or third‑party auditors.
  • Manage ongoing program of mechanical texture analysis and flesh quality, using scientific equipment and techniques.
  • Curate flesh quality database and monitor data quality and integrity.
• Research and Development:
  • Product tracking.
  • Compile and synthesize information on emerging and popular trends in the seafood industry.
  • Evaluate new technologies, troubleshoot existing technologies, and identify opportunities for product and process improvement.
  • Assist specification development for processes, raw materials, and finished products.
  • Provide scientific guidance to associated consultants regarding food safety and other regulatory matters.
  • Be active in idea generation for new applications and development of existing ones.
  • Lead product development prototypes through the commercialization process.
  • Develop metrics for testing.
  • Coordinate various research activities, as needed.
  • Liaise directly with international consultants regarding flesh quality and its causal factors.
  • Liaise with veterinarians and other technical experts and develop an understanding of the influences of genetics, environment, and husbandry of product quality.
  • Gather quality data from both farm sites and production facilities, pertinent to continuous monitoring product quality.

Additional responsibilities may be assigned as deemed necessary to support the overall goals and objectives of the position.

What you bring to Pacific Seafood

• Required
  • Three or more years related experience.
  • Ability to travel up to 25% of the time.
• Preferred
  • Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in a related field.
  • HACCP Certified.
  • SQF Practitioner Certified, or the ability to become certified within 12 months of hire.
  • Valid driver’s license.

• Sedentary work, walking and standing are required only occasionally.
• Reaching. Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Fingering. Picking, pinching, typing or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
• Talking. Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. Those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Hearing. Perceiving the nature of sounds at…