The Role

While believing that healthy food fuels stronger communities, we are looking for an energetic and innovative Senior Food Scientist within our Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) team. The FSQA team plays a key role in our kitchens, responsible for monitoring and verifying that food production adheres to regulatory, safety and quality standards. The FS will develop, improve, and ensure the safety and quality of RTE products by utilizing scientific principles to study food composition and optimize processing methods. Their duties also include ensuring compliance with claims, food labeling regulations and FDA/USDA standards.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements related to labeling, certifications and claims to comply with existing and new regulatory requirements.
• Research and implement new food technologies, emerging ingredients, and process improvements to enhance product differentiation.
• Act with urgency to address consumer requests, feedback and quality concerns through product and process enhancements and modifications.
• Develop standards and specifications for food production, testing, shelf life studies, sanitation, and waste management.
• Maintain high standards for the company’s food safety and handling practices, constantly seeking ways to improve processes with scalable solutions
• Stay up to date on current local and national guidelines that will inform training and operating protocols, business impact and leadership awareness.
• Coordinate inspections with local authorities and achieve high ratings from the health department.
• Lead human taste panels to evaluate the flavor, texture, and appearance of food products involving information about consumer preferences and attitudes toward food products to inform product development and marketing strategies.
• Creating guidelines for new products or modifying existing ones to meet consumer preferences and market trends such as clean label, reduced sugar, plant-based, or allergen-free requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in food science (chemistry/microbiology/processing), or related field.
• Proven track record of successful product development and commercialization.
• 10+ years of experience in food product development with demonstrated expertise in testing methodologies, sensory evaluation, and shelf-life analysis.
• In-depth knowledge of food safety regulations and quality assurance practices.
• Excellent project management abilities. Adept at problem-solving and analytics.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Preferred: Experience in culinary, food preparation, meat/protein processing, ready-to-eat foods, refrigerated foods, ready-to-heat foods.
• Nice to have: Bilingual (Spanish)

Benefits

• 🩺 Health Insurance coverage
• ⛱ PTO policy and paid sick days
• 📈 We grow, you grow: Stock Options Plan granted on Day 1.
• 🌟 Eligible for bi-annual performance bonus
• 🐣 Family leave fully paid
• 🕯 Compassionate Leave: 3-5 days each time the need arises
• 🥘 A generous amount of CookUnity credits to enjoy our amazing meals, added to your account, monthly
• 🧘🏽‍♀️ Wellness perks: access to a nutritional coach and fitness subsidies to build a healthy lifestyle
• 👩🏾‍🏫 Personalized Spanish coach
• 🌟 Awesome opportunity to join a company that is looking to change how we eat and how chefs work!

• 🗓️ 5- year Sabbatical: After 5 years with CookUnity, you get a 4-week paid sabbatical