Food Technologist, R&D

Aspire Bakeries is a North American baking company with a leadership position in specialty frozen baked goods. Formed from leading bakery companies, its innovative food portfolio includes breads, artisan breads, buns, cookies, donuts, muffins and pastries from beloved brands like La Brea Bakery®, Otis Spunkmeyer®, and Oakrun Farm Bakery®. With 15 bakeries in North America, we are committed to driving innovation, predicting upcoming consumer trends and flavors, and exceeding our customers’ expectations. Aspire Bakeries champions the values of Integrity, Ownership, Customer Focus, Creativity and Care to help us deliver on People Safety, Food Safety, Quality and Collaboration.

Responsibilities

1. New Product Development Initiatives (customer centric and blue sky):
   1. Understanding of customer expectations, project objectives, and target consumer
   2. Understanding of current and upcoming trends.
   3. Detailed understanding of functionality of ingredients.
   4. Ability to develop new prototypes on aggressive timelines and specific restrictions.  (Example of restrictions: maximum cost per unit, specific labelling requirements such as “natural,” specific shelf life requirements, etc.)
   5. Maintain detailed records of work.
   6. Effective communication across interdepartmental team.
2. Continuous Improvement of Current Offerings
   1. Knowledgeable of upcoming health trends.
   2. Working with suppliers, regulatory, marketing, and operations to update formulations to meet current external and internal customer expectations (ex: removal of PHOs, awareness of HFCS and color additives, etc.)
   3. Updating documentation and packaging.
3. Bakery Technical Resource
   1. Provide bakery with updated formulation and specification information.
   2. Maintains the internal ingredient specification file
   3. Ability to review and approve alternative ingredient suppliers.
   4. Attend bakery production runs, as needed, to provide technical knowledge and suggestions for ongoing operations/quality improvement. 
4. Marketing/Sales Technical Resource
   1. Provide the marketing/sales team with information detailing formulation information.
   2. Understand and be able to speak about product lines to educate the marketing/sales team.
   3. Provide immediate and ongoing information to sales about new product development information in order to meet our customer centric goals.
   4. Provide samples as needed.
5. R&D/Commercialization Resource
   1. Understand the background of development projects and be able to provide or search for information regarding prior development initiatives.
   2. Assists the Sr. Food Technologist
6. Procurement/Operations Resource
   1. Approve new suppliers, new ingredients, cost reductions and ingredient consolidation
   2. Coordinate with Project Managers on SKU transitions between bakeries
7. Proficient knowledge of general food quality testing procedures and equipment
   1. Colorimeter (Hunter Color Scale)
   2. pH testing and understanding of the effects on food.
   3. Moisture testing and understanding of the effects on shelf life.
   4. Water activity testing and understanding the effects on microbial growth.
   5. Physical testing: weight, size, etc.
   6. Cooking validations
   7. Ability to consolidate this information into effect specifications for quality team.
8. Knowledge of Concept to Commercialization processes.
   1. Ability to develop under Aspire Bakeries’s concept to commercialization process.
   2. Meeting schedule deadlines require knowledge of inter-workings of process and interdepartmental communications.
9. Ability to self-manage projects.
   1. Organization skills
   2. Time management skills
   3. Leadership skills
   4. Communication skills
   5. Technical document skills
10. Knowledge of Aspire Bakeries product offerings in those fields of development responsibility.
11. Other duties as assigned.

Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• AA/BS in Food Science or related field required or 1 to 2 years working as an industrial food developer required.  Additional culinary development experience preferred.
• Expert grasp of English (verbal and written) required.  Fluency in Spanish preferred.
• Proficient knowledge of
  • Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint (intermediate experience required)
  • SAP and Genesis, experience preferred
• • Understanding of OEC Graphics, Discovery, SharePoint, etc.
• Domestic travel up to 20% of time. 
• Basic math skills required (addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, ease with fractions and decimals).
• Ability to read and understand a basic formula.

Physical Requirements

• Regularly required to climb, stand or walk for extended periods of time.
• Use a computer keyboard and monitor more than 25% of total work time.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

Salary Range: $64,480 - $68,640

Aspire Bakeries is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.