Product Development Technologist at Precision Science Inc – Phoenix, Arizona

Precision Science has an opening for an experienced Product Development Technologist. This role is full-time and is responsible for the development of new products, the optimization of existing products, and the onboarding of transfers. The candidate should be comfortable formulating with natural raw materials, understand the importance of ensuring the manufacturability of a formulation, and be able to work effectively and cross-functionally across our Operations, Supply Chain/Purchasing, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Account Managers, and Accounting/Finance groups. This position requires good interpersonal skills, strong verbal and written communication ability, and a firm knowledge of industry trends, customer base, and internal capabilities. This position reports to the Product Development Manager.

Position Details and Benefits:
*Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:30am - 4pm
*Affordable Benefits 1st of the month
*401K match program
*10 PAID HOLIDAYS
*Paid Time Off
*Career Development Opportunities

The ideal candidate will have a strong food science foundation, with proven experience in developing products from benchtop, piloting/scale-up, to full production and commercialization. This role assumes a formulation leadership role for a range of formats to include but not limited to pellets, powders, and chews, and across the following regulatory categories: animal food including dietary supplements, medicated feeds, and pharmaceuticals.

Prior experience in pet food formulation, extrusion technology, pellet mill technology, dietary supplement (nutraceutical) and/or pharmaceutical formulation is desired.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
•Apply knowledge of food science principles and ingredient functionality while
considering other inputs such as safety, regulatory constraints, stability, shelf-life,
storage, scalability, cost, certifications/verifications, and customer defined ingredient guidelines, etc.
•Work hands-on to transition formulations from lab-scale batches to full-scale production and effectively manage all technical aspects of the product development process from bench-top through commercialization and provide any post-launch support.
•Works to optimize formulation, stability of finished goods from a physical, chemical, and sensory analysis perspective
•Works closely with customers and internal resources to develop and launch new products and support existing products.
•Identifies, prioritizes, and coordinates internal activities across various functional departments to meet customer and business needs promptly, and within a reasonable time frame.
•Apply a solid knowledge of the product development process, e.g. stage-gate and/or
design control to bring optimal solutions to customers and manage and prioritize work.
•Apply basic knowledge of various packaging related technologies and their effect related to finished goods shelf life, stability and overall product performance.
•Apply basic knowledge and/or demonstrate a strong desire to learn and develop
products across a variety of regulatory frameworks.
•Evaluate and propose alternative raw materials that can lead to better processing
and/or cost savings.
•Assist Operations and/or Quality Assurance with the investigation of root cause analysis
when investigating customer complaints.
•Ensures customer quality and product specification requirements are met during the product development stage or improvement of an existing product.
•Drafts formulas, processing instructions, raw material specifications, in-process specifications, finished goods specifications, component and packaging specifications
•Communicates technical issues and status of projects to key stakeholders both internal and external.
•Performs timely reporting of project progress and escalation of critical issues
•Innate curiosity for understanding complex food systems from a physical and chemical perspective
•Maintain clean & safe manufacturing and product development environment within all facilities
•Ensures new product development and commercialization stages meet all GMP and
Product Quality and Safety guidelines
•Other tasks as determined by the Product Development Manager

Skills & Knowledge:
•Minimum BS Food Science, Food Engineering, Food and Nutrition, Chemistry, Chemical
•Engineering, Pharmaceutical Science, or related degree. An advanced degree is a plus, but not required.
3-5 years product development experience within a manufacturing environment.
•1+ years of manufacturing industry experience in extrusion technology, pellet mill technology, and/or pet food formulation is helpful
•Must have manufacturing experience in food (or pet food), preferably in dietary supplement and/or pharmaceutical manufacturing
•Excellent organizational skills and a high attention to detail.
•A critical thinker, that possesses an affinity for creative problem solving.
•Must be a self-starter and be able to work in a fast-paced environment and handle
multiple projects and tasks.
•Comfortable with ambiguity and energized by the process of building something from the ground up

Working Conditions:

* Typical work in a pilot lab, and manufacturing environment where you will have
exposure to powders (dust), water/moisture, odors, and noise.

* Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.

* Must be able to lift and carry 30 pounds at times.

* Schedule: Monday to Friday, 7am-4pm with occasional early mornings

Precision Science is An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information or protected veteran status.