Sr. Scientist - Pet Nutrition, Technology & Research - Blue Buffalo - Golden Valley, MN

Overview

Our highly technical and innovative Pet Nutrition team is growing to include scientists focused on research, new claims, and the development of new nutritional technologies. Blue Buffalo’s Pet Nutrition Technology team is responsible for bringing new product innovation to market across our premium wellness and therapeutic product portfolios, which help transform pets' lives.

As a Senior Scientist in our Research and Development organization, you will be responsible for executing formula design projects, conducting research studies on new ingredients, and designing product nutritional standards and requirements.

Key Accountabilities

Develop Product Formula Design

• Establish and maintain specifications for finished products and raw ingredients while ensuring all products meet the company’s strict food safety requirements.
• Oversee the development of new nutrition technologies from concept to hand-off to the marketing and R&D applications teams.
• Assess current formula design (“as is”) and future (“should be”) process effectiveness and recommend improvements
  
  

Maintain Food Safety, Quality & Regulatory Standards

• Ensure that all company product requirements are met in all international formulations
• Work closely with technical and quality assurance personnel to ensure that product specifications are met and appropriate to desired product attributes
• Monitor raw material nutrient values and maintain international ingredients in C5 to ensure proper levels are used in all formula design projects
  
  

Identify & Develop New Technology

• Identify and evaluate new technologies that enhance current products and/or create best-in-class new products
• Conduct efficacy research on new ingredients or technologies under evaluation
• Continuously improve existing products to ensure best performance while optimizing cost
  
  

Exceptional Business Partner

• Present technical data to external scientific, veterinary, and business audiences
• Maintain formula accuracy in the formula database and provide relevant reports to support other departments
  
  

Outside-In Mindset

• Submit scientific findings for publication (scientific abstracts, peer-reviewed manuscripts)
• Identify intellectual property opportunities (trade secrets or patents) to give the company a competitive advantage.
• Keep up to date with industry trends by networking with the technical community and attending meetings/conventions.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Education requirement: Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Animal Science or other related fields
• 5 years of experience in research, study design, formula design, stability studies, palatability studies, and the establishment of ingredient and finished product specifications
• Understanding of PLM, Concept-5, and Multi Step formulation software
• Working knowledge of manufacturing processes and operations
• Hands-on experience in working with external partners including 3rd party co-manufacturers, suppliers, associations, universities, etc.
• Ability to communicate effectively (verbally and written) across a variety of internal partners, both technical and non-technical
• Experience with pilot plant trials and research study design
• Ability and willingness to travel between 10% - 20% of the time
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in animal nutrition or animal science
• Firsthand experience with manufacturing systems of all pet food types
• Knowledge of working with and formulation of all forms of food (dry, canned, injection molded, etc.)
• Expertise in wet food formulation
• Involvement in industry organizations and meetings
• Pet parent
  
  

Additional Considerations

• International relocation or international remote work arrangements (outside of the US) will not be considered
• Applicants for this position must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. General Mills will not sponsor applicants for this position for work visas
• This role is located in Golden Valley, MN. Remote working arrangements will not be considered.
  
  

Salary Range

The salary range for this position is $91900.00 - $138000.00 / Annually. At General Mills we strive for each employee's pay at any point in their career to reflect their experiences performance and skills for their current role. The salary range for this role represents the numerous factors considered in the hiring decisions including, but not limited to, educations, skills, work experience, certifications, etc. As such, pay for the successful candidate(s) could fall anywhere within the stated range. Beyond base salary, General Mills offers a competitive Total Rewards package focusing on your overall well-being. We are proud to offer a foundation of health benefits, retirement and financial wellbeing, time off programs, wellbeing support and perks. Benefits may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors. You may also be eligible to participate in an annual incentive program. An incentive award, if any, depends on various factors, including, individual and organizational performance.