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Position Profile

The R&D Baker Specialist is tasked with developing and refining bakery products, leading production trials, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality products to market. This role requires expertise to drive product innovation while ensuring the highest standards of taste, quality, and safety are consistently met.

Primary Responsibilities

+ Ingredient and Recipe Development : Perform benchtop trials to test ingredients and refine recipes, ensuring optimal quality and consistency.

+ Production Trial Oversight : Lead coordination efforts with Operations, Quality, Logistics, Maintenance, and Engineering teams to manage plant trials and oversee initial production runs.

+ Formula and Process Improvement : Evaluate trial and production results to suggest formula changes and process improvements, tackling any technical challenges that arise.

+ Scale-Up Transition : Guide the transition from bench and pilot-scale production to full-scale manufacturing by developing comprehensive batching procedures and process flows.

+ Risk Mitigation : Identify potential technical risks and assist in creating contingency plans to address challenges.

+ Product Evaluation and Shelf-Life Testing : Lead sensory evaluations and conduct shelf-life studies to ensure the product’s quality and longevity.

+ Data Recording and Trend Analysis : Document test procedures and results, analyze trends, and synthesize findings to support decision-making.

+ Cross-Functional Collaboration : Foster strong communication with all relevant teams to ensure project goals are aligned and met successfully.

+ Training and Knowledge Sharing : Educate Quality and Operations teams on new processes and procedures, facilitating knowledge transfer across departments.

+ Customer Engagement : Present new and existing products during customer meetings, provide assistance with customer inquiries, and address consumer complaints.

+ Lab and Storage Management : Maintain a safe, organized, and clean lab and storage area.

+ Compliance and Safety Adherence : Ensure all activities adhere to established programs, policies, and regulations, producing safe, high-quality products that meet SQF, regulatory, company, and customer standards.

+ Additional Duties : Perform other tasks as required by management to meet evolving business needs.

Requirements

+ Education and Experience : A background in bakery science, food technology, or a related field. At least 3 years of professional baking experience and 1+ year in the food industry is preferred.

+ Skills and Expertise :

+ Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a hands-on approach.

+ Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

+ High energy and entrepreneurial spirit with the ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.

+ Strong organizational skills and a keen attention to detail.

+ Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) is essential.

+ Work Environment Adaptability : Comfortable working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a desire to drive impactful change.

+ Personal Traits :

+ Exceptional organizational and troubleshooting skills with the ability to prioritize tasks effectively.

+ Strong critical thinking skills, especially in high-pressure environments.

+ High integrity and professionalism.

Working Environment

+ The position requires the ability to work in an office, lab, and production floor setting with a concrete floor.

+ Physical demands include extended periods of standing, walking, bending, twisting, and lifting safely.

+ Occasional climbing and the ability to lift, stack, and move objects weighing more than 40 lbs.

+ Potential hazards include proximity to moving mechanical parts, moving vehicles, electrical current, high heat, and chemicals.

Core Competencies

+ Creative Thinking: re-examining traditional strategies and practices, and proactively looking for new ideas and ways to improve products, services, and work processes. A Person with this competency looks at problems and opportunities from a unique perspective, seeing patterns and themes that are not immediately apparent to others and taking time to refine and shape a new idea so it has a higher likelihood of success.

+ Listening, Understanding & Responding: Demonstrates the ability to interact effectively with staff, other team members, customers and external contacts.  Defers judgment on what someone is saying until they have they have thoroughly investigated; creates opportunities for meaningful discussion; builds rapport, trust and strong working relationships up, down and across organization.

+ Information Seeking: Investigates and researches information, digs to resolve discrepancies; obtains information or opinions internally and externally to gain insight or expertise – makes well informed decisions.

+ Initiative:   Initiates courses of action that will lead to improved performance/effectiveness of the Business Unit Team.  Sees a need and takes action to address; questions the way things are done and initiates changes where necessary; sticks with an issue until it is resolved

+ Self-confidence: Willing to take on a new challenge or assignment displaying confidence and enthusiasm; emphasizes the positive and upside aspects of difficult situations – every situation provides an opportunity for learning.

+ Results Orientated & Can Do Attitude: Strives to beat or meet project deadlines; sets own high standards for quality of work; seeks ways to use time and resources more cost effectively; highly organized with the ability to set priorities and multi-task.

+ Team Leadership: Works cooperatively with others promoting team participation as a means to generate more ideas, greater consensus & engagement, and a higher level of commitment to delivering results.

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