Title: R&D Specialist (Food)
Location: Addison, IL
Hire Type: Direct Hire
Compensation: $65k - $80k
Job Summary
The R&D Specialist supports the development, testing, and commercialization of fully cooked meat products. This role plays a key part in product formulation, trial execution, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure products meet quality, safety, and performance standards. The ideal candidate brings strong hands-on experience in food manufacturing, meat processing, and recipe development for scalable production environments.
Responsibilities
Assist in developing new fully cooked meat products from concept through commercialization.
Prepare and conduct product trials including batching, cooking, packaging, and evaluating trial outcomes.
Perform sensory and quality evaluations to ensure consistency in taste, texture, and overall product performance.
Collaborate with production, quality assurance, marketing, and other cross-functional teams to achieve project objectives.
Maintain detailed and accurate documentation of formulations, trial procedures, test results, and adjustments.
Troubleshoot production or formulation issues and refine products as needed.
Conduct shelf-life testing and evaluate product stability over time.
Ensure all R&D activities comply with USDA, FDA, HACCP, and internal food safety standards.
Stay informed on new industry technologies, ingredients, and trends to support innovation initiatives.
Prepare and present product samples to customers, highlighting key features, benefits, and performance attributes.
Skills & Requirements
Degree or certification in Culinary Arts, Food Science, or equivalent relevant experience required.
3–5 years of hands-on experience in food processing or food manufacturing; experience with meat or protein products strongly preferred.
Experience in food product development, including formulation creation and recipe testing for scalable or commercial production.
Strong understanding of food science principles, processing equipment, and ingredient functionality.
Ability to accurately document recipes, measurements, processes, and changes for consistency and reproducibility.
Strong creativity and innovation skills with the ability to develop new concepts that are feasible for production.
Ability to conduct sensory evaluations, including tasting a wide variety of meat products.
Familiarity with food safety programs such as HACCP, GMP, and USDA/FDA regulations.
Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to confidently demonstrate products to customers and internal teams.
