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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a Food Engineer

💰 $75,000 - $130,000

EngineeringFood ScienceResearch & DevelopmentManufacturingQuality Assurance

🎯 Role Definition

Are you passionate about the science behind food and driven to create the next generation of consumer-loved products? This role requires an innovative and results-oriented Food Engineer to join our dynamic team. In this critical role, you will be the bridge between culinary inspiration and large-scale production. You will apply engineering principles to design, develop, and optimize food processing systems, ensuring our products are safe, delicious, and manufactured efficiently. The ideal candidate is a creative problem-solver, a hands-on leader, and a collaborative team player who thrives in a fast-paced environment, from initial R&D benchtop work to full-scale plant trials and commercialization.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Junior Food Scientist / Technologist
  • Process Engineering Intern / Co-op
  • Quality Control / Assurance Technician
  • R&D Lab Assistant

Advancement To:

  • Senior Food Engineer / Principal Engineer
  • Research & Development (R&D) Manager
  • Process Engineering Manager or Plant Manager
  • Director of Innovation

Lateral Moves:

  • Quality Assurance Manager
  • Product Manager / Brand Manager
    ain Specialist (Technical)
  • Technical Sales Representative

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the end-to-end development of new food products, from ideation and benchtop prototyping to pilot plant testing and full-scale commercialization.
  • Design, implement, and optimize food processing techniques and equipment to improve product quality, yield, and manufacturing efficiency.
  • Develop and manage detailed project timelines, budgets, and resource allocation for multiple product development initiatives simultaneously.
  • Author and maintain comprehensive product and process specifications, including ingredient statements, nutritional information, and processing parameters.
    since compliance with all food safety regulations, including FDA, USDA, and global standards, by integrating HACCP and GMP principles into all processes.
  • Conduct rigorous shelf-life studies and sensory evaluation panels to ensure products meet stringent quality, taste, and texture standards over time.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve complex technical challenges in manufacturing, addressing issues related to ingredient variability, equipment performance, and process deviations.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Marketing, Supply Chain, and Quality Assurance, to ensure successful product launches and continuous improvement.
  • Champion cost-saving initiatives by identifying opportunities for process optimization, ingredient substitution, and waste reduction without compromising quality.
  • Develop and execute validation protocols (IQ/OQ/PQ) for new equipment and processing lines to guarantee they meet design specifications and production requirements.
  • Manage relationships with external ingredient suppliers and equipment vendors to source new technologies and raw materials for innovation projects.
  • Create and deliver detailed technical reports, data analyses, and presentations to senior leadership to communicate project status, risks, and outcomes.
  • Investigate and apply emerging food processing technologies, such as high-pressure processing (HPP) or extrusion techniques, to create novel products.
  • Scale-up product formulas and processes from lab-scale to pilot and industrial-scale production, ensuring consistency and quality are maintained.
  • Provide technical expertise and training to operations personnel on new processes and equipment to ensure smooth and effective implementation.

Secondary Functions

  • Mentor and guide junior engineers and technicians, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning within the team.
  • Support the Sales and Marketing teams by providing technical information and product samples for customer presentations and trade shows.
  • Lead or participate in root cause analysis (RCA) investigations for quality deviations and customer complaints, implementing effective corrective actions.
  • Evaluate and recommend new analytical instrumentation and software to enhance the R&D lab's capabilities for testing and data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's intellectual property portfolio by documenting novel inventions and processes.
  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis related to process performance and product quality metrics.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by identifying key process variables for monitoring and control.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements for process automation and data logging.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering and R&D teams for rapid-cycle innovation projects.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Process Scale-Up: Proven ability to scale food products and processes from benchtop to pilot plant and full commercial production.
  • Food Safety & Quality Systems: Deep knowledge of HACCP, GMP, SQF, and BRC standards and their practical application in a manufacturing environment.
  • Product Development Lifecycle: Expertise in the stage-gate process for new product development, from concept to launch.
  • Food Chemistry & Ingredient Functionality: Strong understanding of the chemical interactions of food components and how they impact texture, flavor, and stability.
    seminar Statistical Process Control (SPC): Proficiency in using statistical methods to monitor, control, and improve manufacturing processes.
  • Formulation Software: Experience with Genesis R&D, ESHA, or other formulation and nutritional labeling software.
  • Process Design & P&IDs: Ability to read and create Process and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs) and design food processing systems.
  • Sensory Evaluation: Knowledge of descriptive analysis, consumer preference testing, and other sensory science methodologies.
  • Project Management Software: Familiarity with tools like Microsoft Project, Jira, or Asana for tracking project milestones.
  • CAD Software: Basic proficiency in AutoCAD or SolidWorks for equipment layout and modification is a plus.

Soft Skills

  • Creative Problem-Solving: Ability to think critically and innovatively to overcome technical hurdles and complex challenges.
  • Collaboration & Cross-Functional Leadership: Excellent interpersonal skills to work effectively with diverse teams like marketing, operations, and supply chain.
  • Effective Communication: Superior verbal and written communication skills to convey complex technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Project Management: Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize tasks, and meet tight deadlines.
  • Adaptability: Flexibility to pivot on projects and respond to changing business needs and consumer trends.
  • Attention to Detail: Meticulous approach to documentation, data collection, and experimental execution.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in a relevant technical field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master of Science (M.S.) or Ph.D. in a relevant technical field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Food Engineering or Food Process Engineering
  • Food Science and Technology
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Agricultural or Biological Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3-7+ years of relevant experience in the food and beverage industry.

Preferred: Experience in a Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) environment with a proven track record of successful product commercialization. Hands-on experience working in a manufacturing plant or pilot plant setting is highly desirable.

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