Your Opportunity as the Senior Scientist, Product Development Sweet Baked Snacks
Leverage your technical leadership, creativity, and execution to help deliver the next generation of beloved snack brands. Lead hands-on product development and formulation work—designing experiments, analyzing results, and delivering insights that shape products from concept to launch. As a recognized product expert, you'll influence project direction, collaborate across functions, and bring ideas to life through work in the lab, pilot plant, manufacturing sites, and with consumers.
Location: Orrville, OH
Work Arrangements: Hybrid, 60% or more in office presence as business need requires and travel up to 30%
In this role you will:
Serve as the technical leader, subject matter expert, and product advocate for the Sweet Baked Snacks portfolio.
Lead cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, Insights, Product Research, Packaging, Sales, Engineering, and Operations to develop innovative products and technologies that drive growth.
Independently design and develop products based on consumer insights, business objectives, and project learning plans.
Formulate products that meet consumer, nutritional, operational, regulatory, and financial requirements.
Design and execute product development activities from concept through commercialization, including benchtop, pilot plant, and manufacturing scale-up.
Analyze and interpret technical data, translating findings into clear recommendations for stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
Partner across R&D and the broader organization to integrate ideas, leverage expertise, and advance project objectives.
Develop and maintain technical documentation, including specifications, reports, project updates, data analyses, and laboratory records.
Provide technical leadership and support to commercialization teams to ensure successful product launches.
Identify and evaluate regulatory, environmental, and intellectual property opportunities and risks, including patent development and strategy.
Drive innovation, product optimization, cost savings, and problem-solving initiatives across the portfolio.
Mentor and develop early-career scientists, fostering technical growth and capability building.
What We Are Looking For:
Minimum Requirements
Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Bakery Science, or a related science, engineering, or technology discipline
7+ years of product development, formulation, or R&D experience within the food, beverage, bakery, or consumer packaged goods industry
Experience developing and commercializing products from concept through scale-up and launch.
Experience designing and executing experiments, analyzing data, and translating findings into actionable recommendations.
Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects and influence decisions across cross-functional teams, including Marketing, Operations, Engineering, Packaging, and Sales.
Deep knowledge of food formulation including food safety, nutrition, shelf-life management, and interaction with process and packaging.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present technical information to diverse audiences.
Proven ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and thrive in a fast-paced, innovation-driven environment.
Ability to lift up to 30 lbs.
Ability to travel up to 30% (travel frequency dependent on product launch pipeline).
Additional skills and experience that we think would make someone successful in this role:
Advanced degree in food science or bakery science
Knowledge of regulatory requirements, product claims, intellectual property, and patent opportunities.
Experience leading pilot plant and manufacturing trials and supporting product launches.
Experience working in bakery science
Culinary experience
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The Right Place for You
We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, we play to win, and we believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our Basic Beliefs, and we believe in supporting every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs.
Stay connected with us on LinkedIn®
We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, age, national origin, disability status or protected veteran status.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Bakery Science, or related discipline
- 7+ years of product development, formulation, or R&D experience in food, beverage, bakery, or CPG industry
- Experience developing and commercializing products from concept through scale-up and launch
- Experience designing and executing experiments, analyzing data, and making actionable recommendations
- Proven ability to lead complex cross-functional projects and influence decisions
- Deep knowledge of food formulation including food safety, nutrition, shelf-life, and process/packaging interactions
- Strong written and verbal communication skills and ability to present technical information
- Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, and thrive in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to lift up to 30 lbs
- Ability to travel up to 30%
- Advanced degree in food science or bakery science
- Knowledge of regulatory requirements, product claims, intellectual property, and patent opportunities
- Experience leading pilot plant and manufacturing trials and supporting product launches
- Experience working in bakery science
- Culinary experience
The J.M. Smucker Co. Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about The J.M. Smucker Co. and has not been reviewed or approved by The J.M. Smucker Co..
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Retirement Support — Retirement programs are described as strong, with a company 401(k) match, immediate vesting in some materials, and access to an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. These elements contribute to a favorable view of total compensation value.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave for all parents and on-site childcare at key locations signal a family-forward approach. Additional supports such as adoption assistance and pet-related leave reinforce this emphasis.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off, seasonal compressed schedules, and flexibility options are highlighted across materials. The ability to start with substantial PTO and buy additional time enhances perceived time-off breadth.
The J.M. Smucker Co. Insights
What We Do
Each generation of consumers leaves their mark on culture by establishing new expectations for food and the companies that make it. At The J.M. Smucker Co., it is our privilege to be at the heart of this dynamic with a portfolio that appeals to each generation of people and pets with products found in 90 percent of U.S. homes and countless restaurants. This includes a mix of iconic brands consumers have always loved such as Folgers®, Jif® and Milk-Bone® and new favorites like Café Bustelo®, Smucker’s® Uncrustables® and Rachael Ray® Nutrish®. By continuing to immerse ourselves in consumer and pet parent preferences for food, how it’s purchased and how the companies that make it should operate, we will maintain the important role we play in their lives. This will allow us to continue growing our business and the positive impact we have on all of those who count on us.
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