Overview
Position Title: Food Scientist
Position Type: Temporary – Full-Time
Position Location: Scarborough
Grade: Grade 04
Requisition ID: 28887
Food Scientist – 12month FTC
For over 60 years we’ve been the number one branded player in frozen potato market. When it comes to bringing the nation together at mealtimes with simple, delicious, and great tasting food we’re kind of a big deal!
You won’t just find us in supermarkets though. As well as owning a household retail brand, our respected foodservice business works in close partnership with distributors, chefs and caterers across thousands of the country’s pubs, restaurants, hospitals, and schools.
Our Food Scientists show that there’s more to our fries than meets the eye, getting right under the skin of our potatoes.
ABOUT THE JOB.
The Scientist – Responsible for leading and/or supporting the technical implementation and development of new and/or improved products or processes on regional/global projects, working in partnership with the other disciplines involved in the project team following the general principles of project management.
Core Accountabilities/Outcomes
Product Development:
- Generation of project brief and timelines taking into consideration all aspects of the project from gate 1 to gate 4 as project technical lead in collaboration with the project team and in partnership with the commercial lead.
- Developing products through the process in line with project management principles, following a brief to time, cost and quality expectations, providing full understanding of the process conditions agreed and ingredients used, ensuring all documentation is available from a project management and food safety perspective. Ensuring systems such as SAP, PLM and IMS are up to date.
- Present recommendations to the business on product feasibilities engaging cross functional support, highlighting risks and challenges with mitigating solutions.
- Develop focused implementation plans with the commercial lead and manufacturing specifically including the agreed specification to ensure a smooth handover to manufacturing.
- Gather a general understanding of the Commercial aspects of projects working collaboratively with the commercial team members through research, insight and proposition development, consumer and customer marketing areas to allow clear understanding of wider picture surrounding projects
- Consider potential protectable IP throughout the project treating everything as a trade secret until confirmed and be the subject matter expert.
Communication:
- Maintain a good relationship, communicating internally with project team functions, any other associated departments and third party suppliers or manufacturers
- Internal R&D communication within the GB and broader regions
- Present products confidently and professionally with factual technical knowledge
- Regularly update the Senior Scientist and stakeholders as to status of projects and any changes to milestones
- Update at key business meetings such as the ILT and ISG in a professional manner
- Contribute to all global and regional meetings bringing suggestions and updates helping to broaden the knowledge of the team overall
Proactive Development:
- Proactively maintain technical knowledge in light of market advances both internally(globally) and externally sharing relevant information with the team.
- Leverage technical knowledge to provide input to the business strategy
- Proactive engagement in improving performance and team involvement
- Continuous improvement of work practices suggesting idea’s to the process and team
We’re looking for someone with…
- A Master’s or PhD in Food Science, Food Chemistry, Food Physics, or related disciplines. Relevant work experience showing technical competencies and knowledge in ingredients will be considered for this role.
- Ideally 2+ years relevant CPG industry experience, preferably working on innovation-focused research projects related to food ingredients or coatings at a global organization.
- Experience working in a fast paced commercially driven Product Development environment (both frozen and chilled in branded or own label), working on all aspects in the development process including concept development, process development, factory/line trials, specifications and first production runs.
- An understanding of Manufacturing processes
- Raw material knowledge
- Financial Management experience (Budgeting, Cost control, COGs, weights and measures)
- Knowledge of food laws and regulations required, including nutritional and ingredient declarations, developing recipes and maintaining detailed up todate R&D documentation
- Experience of working through all aspects of a stage gate process using SAP/PLM/IMS systems
- Proven ability to work collaboratively across levels and functions internally and externally.
- Highly motivated, with excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Willingness to travel locally and globally occasionally as needed
- Full clean driving license (must)
Although we’ve outlined our preferred qualifications for this position, we understand that the perfect candidate might not tick every box listed here. We strongly believe in fostering growth within the role, so if you don’t match every requirement, we still urge you to apply. You could be exactly the person we need! Apply today!
What you’ll get in return.
Although we do encourage you to taste the goods you’ll be pleased to know we don’t pay you in chips. For working hard, you’ll also get a great salary and some pretty good benefits including:
- An excellent pension where we will pay double what you do, up to a maximum of 12% of your pay
- Flexible holidays – where you can buy & sell up to 5 days holiday per year
- Private medical insurance scheme
- Optional health cash plan
- Cycle to work scheme
- ‘Chips In’ Volunteering Day Off – to make a positive impact to the competitiveness, resilience, and long-term development of McCain communities across the globe
Where you’ll be working.
We have a culture based on achieving outcomes and with that fully support flexible working. Our Head Office is based in Scarborough, and due to the nature of this role, we would require seeing you from time to time, but as long as the travel is reasonable, we don’t expect you to be based here every day.
McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. We see value in ensuring we have a diverse, antiracist, inclusive, merit-based, and equitable workplace. As a global family-owned company we are proud to reflect the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that diversity drives our creativity, resilience, and success and makes our business stronger.
McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms), please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.
The health and safety of McCain employees and their families has been our number one priority since the start of COVID-19 pandemic. With vaccination restrictions easing across the globe we do not currently require employees to be vaccinated, but we reserve the right to change this mandate in line with health guidance and regulations in each country.
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