Scientist, R&D - Margin Enhancement - The Kraft Heinz Company

The Kraft Heinz Company is one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, with eight $1 billion+ brands and global sales of approximately $25 billion. We’re a globally trusted producer of high-quality, great-tasting, and nutritious foods for over 150 years. Our brands are truly global, with products produced and marketed in over 40 countries. These beloved products include condiments and sauces, cheese and dairy, meals, meats, refreshment beverages, coffee, infant and nutrition products, and numerous other grocery products in a portfolio of more than 200 legacy and emerging brands.  

No matter the brand, we’re united under one vision: To sustainably grow by delighting more consumers globally. Bringing this vision to life is our team of 39,000+ food lovers, creative thinkers, and high performers worldwide. Together, we help provide meals to those in need through our global partnership with Rise Against Hunger. We also stand committed to responsible, sustainable practices that extend to every facet of our business, our consumers, and our communities. Every day, we’re transforming the food industry with bold thinking and unprecedented results. If you share our passion – and are ready to create the future, build a legacy, and lead as a global citizen – there’s only one thing to do: join our table and let’s make life delicious! 

Our Culture of Ownership, Meritocracy & Collaboration 

We're not afraid to think differently. Embrace new ideas. Dream big. We empower our people at every level – from entry-level intern to senior leader – to own their work. We share a responsibility to think like Owners – to be mindful of the collective and sustained success of Kraft Heinz – which we apply to every situation, every day. As part of Kraft Heinz, you're supported to grow and achieve. You’re expected to bring your authentic self to work every day, to lead with humility, and drive outstanding performance at every level – and you’ll be rewarded. You’re given opportunities to leave a mark and build a legacy. But you won’t do it alone.  You’re supported by passionate teammates along the way, and our collective, collaborative spirit fuels our incredible progress. 

Role 

This is a Research and Development (R&D) role leading Productivity Pipeline development initiatives across all businesses within the   Kraft Heinz North America.  The candidate will be developing and executing work plans and driving for results to meet business initiatives focused on productivity idea development and execution.  This includes basic understanding of the business need, commercialization, designing and executing tests, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, documenting, and communicating results to both technical and non-technical audiences.  Proven communication and teamwork skills are essential in this role, which operates in a dynamic cross-functional environment.  The candidate must also have a strong technical background and ability to think critically to apply prior knowledge and scientific principles to new situations.  This position requires an individual to manage multiple assignments/tasks concurrently and with a moderate degree of autonomy.  Collaboration, growth-oriented mindset, and flexibility are a must. 

Key Components of the role  

• Work with cross functional teams to lead and support projects from concept to commercialization, including Marketing, Operations, Quality, External Manufacturers, and Procurement 
• Demonstrate the willingness and ability to learn new product categories and/or processing/packaging areas 
• Manage multiple assignments/development projects concurrently to meet R&D timelines 
• Call out and discuss priority conflicts between a variety of business initiatives 
• Design, support, and execute plant trials, then summarize and translate results clearly for technical and non-technical teams 
• Formula/product commercialization working closely with teams at production plants 
• Direct communication with suppliers and manufacturing partners 
• Adapt and apply scientific principles to new situations/products and have a moderate degree of autonomy 
• Create and update multi-component product specifications with attention to detail 

Qualifications: 

• BS/MS in, Food Engineering, Packaging Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field 
• Minimum of 2 years in a Technical Function (which can include all graduate and/or internship work) 
• Product development and commercialization experience as well as direct experience with are desired but not a prerequisite 
• Understanding of material functionality and interrelationship of ingredients, process, and packaging 
• Excellent communication, influencing, prioritization, and project management skills 
• Strong critical thinking skills and ability to make connections to the big picture 
• Ability to lead, coach, and motivate others 
• Manage multiple assignments/tasks concurrently with the ability to question the priority of work 
• Strong understanding of Design of Experiments 
• Willingness to travel approximately 30% of the time