R & D FOOD TECHNOLOGIST I

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Develop formulations for all food products sold by NOW Health Group, including items under the Real Food, Real Tea, Living Now, BetterStevia, and Ellyndale product lines. This includes formulating and developing recipes using diverse ingredients for new products and improving existing ones.
• Supports in-house and contract manufacturing by providing technical information and troubleshooting in situations where corrective action is required to increase efficiencies, rectify production deviations, resolve quality problems, and work out production difficulties. Supporting manufacturing includes working hands-on in processing rooms and packaging lines and direct contact with raw materials, equipment, and packaging. Helps address complaints and issues. Responds to questions and inquiries related to food.
• Works directly with Purchasing, Quality Assurance, and Quality Control by evaluating new ingredients, ingredients out of specification, and alternate vendor ingredients to ensure materials run on manufacturing equipment and helps evaluate and support contract packagers, where appropriate.
• Organizes resources in completing projects based on meeting profitability objectives, company deadlines, operating budget responsibilities, and research and development departmental goals.
• Obtains information related to research and development, including raw material characteristics, processing techniques, environmental conditions, packaging requirements, and production efficiencies for bill of material entries and specifications.
• Coordinates and tracks all food-related physical, microbiological, chemical, and stability testing. Reviews and reports results with appropriate departments and / or individuals.
• Helps develop ingredients and formulation specifications and provides required label information, nutritional composition, recipe instructions, etc. Inputs information into Oracle through bill of materials, specifications, and manufacturing instructions.
• Participates in Product development and products needing improvement committees to communicate project updates and discuss technical information.
• Helps set up food sensory evaluation testing, including screening and assigning panelists. Prepares foods, communicates with panelists, collates, analyzes, reports, and interprets data. Reports results to appropriate departments and / or individuals with the decision to proceed as is or continue development work.
• Identifies and documents critical parameters about approved formulas to reproduce results on a full-scale production basis.
• Completes and evaluates product documentation packages for final review by appropriate managers.
• Communicates formula requirements and assists other departments, including manufacturing, purchasing, receiving, order fulfillment, quality assurance, quality control, marketing, sales, engineering, and accounting.
• Helps evaluate equipment and processes used in the development, evaluation, and production of products at NOW. Implements changes as needed to maximize efficiency, efficacy, and accuracy of new and existing product introductions.
• Reviews manufacturing processes, determining where improvements in product quality could contribute to the company's success.
• Maintains test kitchen / lab in safe, clean, and orderly conditions.
• Complies with safety and GMP requirements.

SAFETY RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT

Supports a culture of safe production and exhibits safe work practices. Actively participates in the safety program by engaging in safety activities. Effectively provides and accepts constructive peer-to-peer feedback on safety performance. Adheres to policies, procedures, SOP's, safe work practices, and safety policies and procedures. Reports ALL workplace incidents to supervisor immediately. Communicates concerns to supervisor, reports hazards, and provides input on prevention. Properly uses, wears, and stores Personal Protective Equipment when required. Participates on safety teams and / or completes safety-related activities as part of regular job responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or ability required. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

EDUCATION and / or EXPERIENCE

The minimum requirements for this position include a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science and 3-5 years of related experience. A Culinary Degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered. Strong preference will be given to candidates who have experience in product development in natural foods and culinary experience, as well as experience in formulating gluten-free and allergen-free foods. Additionally, a background in developing recipes using alternate sweeteners such as Stevia is preferred.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with various concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret various instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to handle testing equipment, raw materials and finished products, tools, or controls and communicate in person and on the telephone. The employee must frequently taste or smell and ascend and / or descend stairs. The employee is occasionally required to move from place to place within the facility to reach, ascend and / or descend, balance, or stoop. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, the ability to adjust focus, and color vision.

The employee must regularly lift, move (in some cases drag items), slide, raise and / or place :

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those encountered by an employee while performing the essential functions of this job.

The employee may frequently be exposed to vapors and / or herbal aromas.

This position works in all areas of NOW's manufacturing facilities with direct exposure to ingredients (powders and liquids), mixes (powders and liquids), equipment, and packaging.

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