Senior Scientist

Position Title: Senior Scientist

Position Type: Regular - Full-Time

Grade:Grade 05

Requisition ID:40817

In every role McCainers are ambitious curious and passionate about creating exceptional work experiences - together. With a customer-first mindset we make doing business with McCain easy.

About the role.

As a Sr. Product Development Scientist in NA Potato Innovation you will play a key role in developing optimizing and scaling innovative products and platforms across McCains NA and Canadian Potato categories. You will lead and deliver complex product development projects applying strong scientific and technical expertise while partnering closely with global and regional stakeholders.

This role requires solid experience in ingredient functionality formulation processing and commercialization. You will contribute to shaping innovation pipelines by translating consumer customer and technical insights into feasible and viable product solutions. As a senior individual contributor you will serve as a trusted technical partner support capability building within R&D and represent the voice of Product Development in cross-functional forums.

What youll be doing.

1. Front-End Innovation & Platform Development

• Contribute to the identification and development of innovation opportunities grounded in consumer culinary and technology insights in partnership with Sensory UX Insights Commercial and Marketing.
• Support the development and evolution of product platforms that can scale across regions and customers.
• Translate insights and concepts into technically sound product designs with clear development and feasibility pathways.
• Demonstrate a working understanding of market trends emerging technologies and the competitive landscape to inform product and project decisions.
• Where appropriate partner with Global Innovation Platform team to align and translate global innovation opportunities into regional pipeline initiatives.

2. Technical & Scientific Leadership

• Lead technical execution of product development projects from formulation through commercialization.
• Apply strong knowledge of ingredient functionality formulation principles and processing to solve development challenges.
• Design and execute development and validation work including DOE pilot trials scale-up activities and commercialization readiness.
• Partner with internal teams (ATI Engineering Quality Procurement) and external suppliers to deliver products that meet key performance cost and quality targets.
• Serve as a technical contributor or subject matter expert in assigned technology or product areas.
• Maintain high standards of project documentation including technical plans risk assessments trial summaries and feasibility reviews.
• Stay current with advancements in food science and ingredient technology through journals supplier engagement and professional networks.

3. Project & Portfolio Execution

• Serve as the Product Development technical lead on innovation projects representing R&D and other Technical functions across cross-functional teams.
• Own technical deliverables timelines and risk mitigation plans within assigned projects.
• Proactively identify technical risks and work with the team to develop practical mitigation strategies.
• Ensure alignment between technical execution project objectives and business priorities.

4. Collaboration Influence & Capability Building

• Communicate technical findings and recommendations clearly to cross-functional and regional stakeholders.
• Support and mentor junior scientists and team members through knowledge sharing and on-the-job coaching.
• Collaborate with Culinary and customers to co-create and adapt recipes to meet menu needs and back-of-house requirements.
• Lead raw material sourcing evaluation improvement and approval activities in partnership with Procurement.
• Support Commercial and Marketing with technical input for customer presentations and innovation discussions.
• Provide technical support to Manufacturing Q&FS Engineering and Technical Operations to resolve product or process issues.
• Share learnings on trends ingredients and new product introductions with the broader Product Development team.

What youll need to be successful.

Education and Experience

• BS or MS degree in Food Science Chemical Engineering or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in product development preferably within food CPG or manufacturing environments.

General Competencies

• Proven ability to independently lead and deliver multiple product development projects.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical information for non-technical audiences.
• Effective collaborator across regions functions and cultures.
• Demonstrates learning agility and openness to new tools methods and insights.
• Applies commercial understanding to balance consumer desirability technical feasibility and business needs.
• Comfortable working with ambiguity and evolving project scope.
• Well-organized with strong attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Positive self-motivated and solution-oriented mindset with a passion for innovation.

R&D Technical Competencies

• Strong capability in experimental design data interpretation and scientific rigor.
• Working knowledge of GMP HACCP food safety and the product development lifecycle.
• Knowledge of food laws related to product labeling and nutritional requirements.
• Demonstrates solid technical expertise in formulation ingredients and processing; applies data-driven approaches and DOE to optimize development decisions.
• Anticipates and addresses scale-up considerations in partnership with manufacturing and engineering teams.
• Contributes to continuous improvement in development practices and technical standards.

About McCain.

Click Here to learn more about McCain and how we provide you with opportunities to make an impact that matters.

Leadership principles.

At McCain our leadership principles guide how we engage with customers collaborate as a team and achieve success. We focus on understanding customer needs driving innovation empowering people and taking ownership to clear obstacles and deliver results.

The McCain experience.

We are McCain. This statement is a testament to our collective strength and our individual value. Your contributions play a vital role in our success. Our winning culture is rooted in authenticity and trust empowering us to bring out the best in one another. Here youll find opportunities to learn grow and thrive. Join us and experience why were better together.

Our purpose is grounded in building meaningful relationships. Were big believers in the power of working together in personit helps us stay connected collaborate more effectively and grow as a team. At the same time we recognize the importance of flexibility. Most office-based roles follow a hybrid model with the option to work remotely two days a week. There may be exceptions depending on the role and location so we encourage you to speak with your recruiter for more details.

Compensation Package:$85500.00 - $114000.00 . USD annually Bonus eligibility

The above reflects the target compensation range for the position at the time of posting. Hiring compensation will be determined based on experience skill set education and training and other organizational needs. This posting is for an existing vacancy.

Benefits: At McCain were on a mission to create a winning culture that puts employee safety and well-being at the heart of what we do every day. We understand and appreciate that each persons needs are unique and ensure our benefits & well-being programs reflect that. Employees are eligible for the following benefits: health coverage (medical dental vision prescription drug) retirement savings benefits and leave support including medical family and bereavement. Well-being programsinclude vacation and holidays company-supported volunteering time and mental health resources. Coverages are aligned with country provincial and state governing plans and can vary by work level location and nature of the role. Additional benefit detail available during the application process.

Your well-being matters to us and were here to provide you with the necessary resourcesto support you in being your best self at work and at home.

McCain Foods is an equal opportunity employer. As a global family-owned company we strive to be the employer of choice in the diverse communities around the world in which we live and work. We recognize that inclusion drives our creativity resilience and success and makes our business stronger. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race religion color national origin sex age veteran status disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

McCain is an accessible employer. If you require an accommodation throughout the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials or accessible meeting rooms) pleaselet us know and we will work with you to find appropriate solutions.

Your privacy is important to us. By submitting personal data or information to us you agree this will be handled in accordance with McCains Global Privacy Policyand Global Employee Privacy Policy as applicable. McCain leverages AI in the hiring process though all final decisions are made by humans. You can understand our approach to AI and how your personal information isbeing handled here.

Job Family:Research & Development
Location(s): US - United States of America : Illinois : Oakbrook Terrace

Company:McCain Foods USA Inc.