Job Purpose and Summary
We are looking for an experienced food scientist to join our Product Innovation team at KitchenTown! This group works directly with the most promising food startups, entrepreneurs, scientists, and legacy companies to develop new food and beverage products. The most innovative food startups in the world—from alternative proteins to automated restaurants to functional products—come to KitchenTown to launch their companies. Your job is to create new products in collaboration with those brands. KitchenTown is an energetic food hub teeming with entrepreneurs defining the future of food. You want to make foods that are joyful to eat, nourish the body and mind, or regenerate the assets on which they depend.
Candidates love variety, are creative, and are able to demonstrate strong technical knowledge while working in a fast paced environment. This person should have a passion for food innovation, a desire to improve the food system, and enjoy working as part of a small, nimble team in a lab setting. The Product Innovation team works in constant collaboration to pursue end-to-end innovation for multiple clients.
Primary Responsibilities
- Conduct sensory, ingredient, and process assessments for new clients
- Enhance texture, functionality and appearance of product formulations
- Formulation of new products from benchtop to production scale for multiple product categories
- New ingredient sourcing, evaluation, costing, qualification and specification
- Sensory testing: create, design and conduct testing
- Ability to scale up recipes and attend plant trials at co-packers as needed
- Conduct shelf life assessments and tests
- Plan and execute day to day project and lab activities
- Manage time and priorities across multiple projects in collaboration with the team
- Communicate effectively with clients and team members
Requirements
- 3+ years of hands-on experience in food development
- BS or MS in food science
- Self-starter, enjoys working in a fast-paced innovation-centric environment
- Passion for creating new and exciting products
- Ability to be flexible with changing priorities and timelines
- Creative problem solver and team player
- Experience with lab note-keeping
- Ability to lift 30-40 lbs
- Ability to work in-person at our Product Innovation Lab in San Mateo, CA.
Preferred but not required
- Experience in plant protein space
- Experience in baked goods
- Culinary experience
- Proficiency in Genesis
About KitchenTown
KitchenTown is a food startup incubator and service provider playing a critical role in the development, commercialization, and launch of impact driven and transformational food products.
Salary: competitive, commensurate with experience
Benefits: This is a full time position. Benefits include Healthcare, PTO, VTO, Stock Options. Ample opportunity for career advancement as the company grows.
To Apply
Submit resume and why you think you’d be a good fit for this role to info@kitchentowncentral.com with the subject line: Food Scientist. Thank you!
