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Job Title: Food ScientistJob Description

As a Food Scientist, you will be integral to the research and development team, responsible for the creation and enhancement of new food products. You will have the opportunity to innovate and develop product samples, coordinate taste testing sessions, and evaluate ingredients to ensure quality and compliance with industry standards.

Responsibilities

+ Execute successful product designs that scale up to plant implementation, meeting customer and business expectations for product performance, nutritional and regulatory requirements, and cost targets.

+ Perform laboratory evaluations on new ingredients to achieve cost savings and secure raw material supply chains.

+ Collaborate with operations, maintenance, quality, procurement, and marketing teams to drive continuous improvement in product quality and manufacturing processes.

+ Support the sales team in delivering technical support to customers through project calls and on-site visits.

+ Write technical reports, describing test results and/or reviews of quality evaluations, interpret; make recommendations and present results cross functionally.

+ Maintain lab supplies, equipment, and ingredient inventory.

+ Create and maintain accurate finished product specifications, ingredient statements, and nutrition fact panels in collaboration with cross-functional teams.

+ Stay up to date with developments in the Dairy Industry and constantly look for new ingredient opportunities to differentiate products from competitors.

+ Work individually and with other food scientists, developing unique customer solutions.

+ Evaluate and resolve customer complaints with the QA team.

+ Support the Food Safety culture and attend all required company training.

+ Other job duties as assigned.

Essential Skills

+ Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Biology, or Food Engineering.

+ 2-5 years of experience in developing formulas in dairy-based applications.

+ Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality, especially starches, is a plus.

+ Proficiency in dry blending and an understanding of powder dynamics.

+ Ability to generate and translate innovative concepts into technically feasible and consumer-relevant prototypes and products.

+ Creative thinking, problem-solving skills, and adaptability to change.

+ Strong analytical skills with the ability to make science and data-backed decisions.

+ Effective written and verbal communication skills.

+ Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

+ Excellent time management skills, deadline-driven, and adept at managing multiple priorities.

+ Willingness to travel up to 25%.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

+ Ability to operate various analytical equipment including lab scale, salt titrator, pH meter, refractometer, viscometer, Aw meter, and moisture analyzer.

+ Proficiency in using benchtop cooking kettles, beakers, flasks, pipets, graduated cylinders, thermometers, and stirrers.

+ Capability to lift and move samples, ingredients, and calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, proportions, and percentages.

+ Ability to review technical documents and drawings.

+ Strong communication skills for writing reports.

Work Environment

The role is primarily lab-based, with occasional travel required. You will work with various analytical equipment and tools in a collaborative team environment. The position requires maintaining lab supplies and equipment and may involve lifting and moving samples and ingredients.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Saint Louis, MO.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $30.00 - $30.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Saint Louis,MO.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 17, 2025.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing due to a disability, please email [email protected] (%[email protected]) for other accommodation options.