Food Scientist I (2418) at Carl Buddig & Company – South Holland, Illinois

About Us:

Carl Buddig and Company, a respected name in the meat manufacturing industry, boasts a legacy of over 80 years. Founded as a family-owned company, we have evolved into a leading producer of premium meat products, including renowned lunchmeats, ready-to-eat cooked meats under our Kingsford, LLC division, and savory snack meats from Old Wisconsin.

As a third-generation family business, our success is anchored in our commitment to quality, innovation, and community. With a workforce of 2,500 dedicated team members spread across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana, we continue to expand, driven by a vision for excellence and a responsiveness to evolving consumer preferences.

At Carl Buddig and Company, we foster a culture centered around teamwork and innovation. We strive to create an environment that values creativity and collaboration, ensuring every team member is empowered to contribute to our collective goals.

Our dedication extends beyond our business operations. We actively support charitable initiatives and community organizations through direct contributions, volunteer work, and partnerships. We aim to make a positive impact and give back to the communities that have supported us over the years.

Join us at Carl Buddig and Company, where tradition meets innovation, and where our passion for quality meat products is matched by our commitment to our people and communities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage multiple ongoing projects concurrently in an organized manner.

• Taking ownership and accountability for technical projects, executing small- and large-scale plant tests while documenting data and analyzing results.

Innovation:

• Work directly with the sales and marketing teams on new concept development and seeing through the project all the way through the NPD process (concept development, consumer testing, concept refinement, benchtop development, pilot development, and commercialization).

• Identify culinary trends that can be incorporated into new products with new and existing capabilities.

Renovation:

• Work cross functionally with plant operations and FSQA to enhance existing portfolio items.

• Developing new SKUs while using established formulas and processing methods as a foundation.

• Identify opportunities to improve processes and formulations working cross functionally with FSQA and Operations Teams

Optimization:

• Work directly with operation and finance to identify optimization opportunities pertaining to formulation, raw processing, cooking programs, and packaging processes that drive revenue and margin growth.

Knowledge & Experience:

• Must demonstrate a technical competence – background in Food Science, Meat Science, Culinary Science, Process Engineering, and/or related field.

• Knowledgeable product development and commercialization experience.

• 3+ years of experience in food product development is a plus but not required.

• Understanding of ingredient functionality and interrelationship of formula and process.

• Can manage multiple tasks concurrently with the ability to prioritize the work.

• Excellent communication, influencing, prioritization, presentation, and project management skills.

• Strong critical thinking skills and ability to make connections to bigger company goals when developing.

• Ability to coach and train staff in new processes.

• Willingness to travel approximately 25% of the time for customer presentations, trade shows, and equipment vendor testing.

Working Conditions:

• Work based out of the Carl Buddig plant in South Holland, IL.

• Design and manage benchtop development in the R&D Lab

• Run tests and trials in the plant using existing plant processes in a cold and wet environment.

• Support and execute trials on the Ready-To-Eat (RTE) side of the plant and coordinate the packing and shipment of customer samples.

• Capable of safely handling and lifting items weighing up to 50 lbs.

Pay Range for this position is $75,000 to $85,000 depending on experience.

Benefits for this role include Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, FSA, HSA, 401(k) Plan with Company Match, Vacation & PTO, and Tuition Reimbursement. There is also a potential for a discretionary bonus this bonus is based on personal & company performance and is not a guaranteed bonus plan.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Employment Decisions Statement

Carl Buddig and Company does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to make any employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, promotion, performance evaluations, discipline, or termination. All employment decisions are made by trained HR professionals and company leaders to ensure fairness, consistency, and compliance with the Illinois Human Rights Act.