Food Scientist

At Link Snacks , we show up hungry, roll up our sleeves, plaid or otherwise, and dive straight into the hard work. We don’t hide from challenges; we hunt them down. We push harder, move faster, and take the kinds of big swings that built this business in the North Woods of Wisconsin four decades ago.

We’re everyday people who deliver extraordinary results. Innovation, creativity, and urgency aren’t buzzwords, they’re expectations. And just like the real protein snacks we make across our global house of brands— Jack Link’s® ,  Lorissa’s Kitchen® ,  Golden Island® ,  BiFi® , and  Peperami®  and  KOOEE!® to name a few—there’s nothing artificial about us. What you see is exactly what you get: humble, gritty, passionate people who show up every day ready to not just be a participate in the meat snack industry that the Link Family created, but to move faster, innovate harder and keep raising the bar so high, the rest of the world needs a ladder just to see it.

Dominating this space across the world takes a team. A team that runs together, succeeds together, and celebrates together. A team that’s full of relentless energy and spirit that can only be fueled by one thing: a fist full of our delicious meat snacks.

Real Meat Protein. Real People. Real Results. THAT is Link Snacks!

The Link Snacks the Food Scientist plays a key role in the development and execution of corporate research, development, and innovation initiatives including new product development, product and process improvement, quality, and food safety.  This position will play a major role in helping the company achieve its growth objectives through appropriate uses of technology and innovation in new product development, packaging, quality control, and operations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive and support the development of innovation from internal and external sources to help fulfill the company’s strategic plan.

• Support the exploration of alternative ingredients, vendors and processes to deliver higher margin for new and current product opportunities.

• Support the identification and research of potential new platform opportunities.

• Serve as a voice providing feedback and technical assistance as a member of the R & D team.

• Manage individual projects as assigned including sourcing and verification of raw ingredients and other materials, collaboration with Operations, QA, and other R & D staff to schedule and execute plant trials, hands on technical development and commercialization of new products in line with the NPD process and documentation of test formulas, procedures and net outcomes.

• Lead product cuttings for cross functional teams of existing products, product improvements, new products, or competitive samples.

• Champion quality awareness.  Maintain product quality across our product lines.

• Continuously improve product and processes for greater product quality and profitability.

• Document and maintain product and process specifications, nutritional values/product labeling and regulatory requirements.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Meat Science, Food Science, Animal Science or related field.

• 3 +  years of product development experience or working in relevant food manufacturing experiences

• Familiarity with laboratory procedures and equipment

• Proficient written and oral communication skills.

• Comfortable in a fast paced, changing environment.

• Demonstrated relationship and leadership skills including effective collaboration with R&D, quality, and cross-functional partners

• Strong problem-solving skills and a bias for action

• Detail oriented with demonstrated experience of maintaining accurate records on all tests and related work

• Comfortable in a fast paced, changing environment

• Ability to travel up to 30%.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Masters degree in Meat Science, Food Science, Animal Science or related field.

• 5 + years of experience in the meat processing industry, or meat lab experience preferred.

• Understanding of USDA regulations

• Smokehouse experience including natural and atomized smoke applications

• Experience in the shelf stable meat snack industry

• Knowledge of food manufacturing regulations, standards and labeling, plant sanitation, and microbiology