Food Scientist II

At Zentis - We are Fruit Masters!

Zentis is Europe's number one fruit processing company and one of the leading brand manufacturers of jams, sweets, and custard-based desserts. The Company's North America operations are located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Plymouth, Indiana, where we produce fruit and dairy preparations for a variety of customers including yogurt, ice cream and bakery manufacturers. We are currently looking to recruit a Food Scientist II for our Plymouth location.

The Food Scientist II in Research & Development is responsible for developing new products and technologies with strategic importance to Zentis, ultimately leading to the growth and stability of the business. This is accomplished by fostering close interactions with Sales and Zentis customers to effectively manage projects and develop new business. Areas of focus for projects may include beverages, ice cream, bakery fillings and glazes and dairy or dairy-alternative product applications.

Our ideal Food Scientist II has expertise in formulation, process scale-up, food regulations, use of functional ingredients such as stabilizers (starches, pectins gums), colors, flavors, texturizing ingredients and fruit formulations. We're also looking for someone with an inclination to understand problems and find sustainable solutions.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Independently leads product development projects from concept through commercialization, partnering directly with Sales, Operations, Quality, Procurement, and Manufacturing to deliver customer and business objectives.
• Utilizes DMS and MES systems to develop, optimize, and commercialize formulations while ensuring manufacturability and cost targets are achieved. Applies strong project management skills to manage multiple priorities, identify risks, and drive timely decisions across cross-functional teams.
• Serves as a primary technical contact during customer interactions and confidently presents concepts, technical recommendations, and project updates. Anticipates technical challenges and develops innovative solutions that balance customer requirements, operational capabilities, and business needs.
• Designs and executes complex experimental plans using statistical analysis to develop products, optimize processes, and resolve product quality challenges.
• Independently establishes product specifications, process parameters, and validation criteria that balance customer requirements, manufacturing capability, and business objectives. Evaluates existing analytical methods and develops enhanced testing approaches to improve product understanding, troubleshooting, and quality assurance.
• Partners directly with suppliers, customers, laboratories, and industry resources to benchmark practices, evaluate new technologies, and align testing methodologies with industry standards.
• Leads successful scale-up and commercialization activities to consistently achieve Right-First-Time (RFT) targets while balancing customer expectations, product quality, operational efficiency, and cost requirements.
• Applies advanced knowledge of ingredient functionality, processing conditions, and manufacturing capabilities across multiple facilities and production lines to proactively identify commercialization risks. Designs and executes pilot plant and intermediary scale-up plans to validate formulations and manufacturing processes prior to full-scale production.
• Partners closely with Operations, Quality, Procurement, and Production teams to resolve startup challenges and implement effective corrective actions. Independently leads investigations involving formulation, ingredient, or process-related failures and develops sustainable solutions to improve future commercialization success.
• Assist with cost and productivity improvement initiatives as needed to ensure that product quality and customer requirements are not compromised.
• Build expertise in Zentis’ business areas through collaboration with other Scientists. Share knowledge during project work to support business success and contribute to the development of other team members. Provides technical guidance to junior scientists in experimental design, data interpretation, and problem-solving methodologies.

Formal Education Required:

• Minimum: B.S. in Food Science, Food Engineering, Culinology or related food technical field. Also open to consider Chemistry, Biochemistry and Biology degrees.

Specific Experience and Key Knowledge Requirements:

• Ideally 4-8 years food industry R&D experience in related product areas.

Special Skills and Abilities Required:

• Positive, proactive work ethic
• Good project management skills
• Strong organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to make decisions and solve problems independently and through collaboration with others
• Comfortable presenting technical information to customers and internal partners
• Ability to analyze quantitative data and summarize findings
• Strong familiarity with functional ingredients, product formulations, thermal processes and production scale equipment
• Strong computer software programs proficiency Microsoft Office 365 applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook. Familiarity with SAP and formula management applications a plus.
• Ability to represent the company externally in a professional and supportive manner.

Travel Requirements:

• 15%, local and international

We offer a great benefits package that features:

• Medical (PPO and HSA plans), Prescription, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• 401k employer contribution
• Generous paid Vacation/ Sick Time & Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave
• Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Insurance
• And much more!

EOE/M/F/H/V