The Role:
Reporting to the CCO, the selected candidate for Head of Food Science will have responsibility on the design of our food science and product development strategy, building the food R&D roadmap for technology emerging from Elo’s synthetic biology platform. This role will be responsible for partner identification, contract procurement, experimental design, data gathering-analysis and presentation. This person will also be responsible for ingredient, product, and application design, building product prototypes and supporting partner and customer meetings. This person will support decisions on the advancement of new ingredients and for supporting commercial team.
Desired Qualifications Include:
- M.S. or Ph.D with experience in Food Science and related fields such as Food Engineering and Nutrition Science with 10+ years of Food Ingredient and/or CPG industry experience in new product design.
- Experience with full cycle commercialization of products from concept to market launch.
- Knowledge of industry standard processing techniques and ability to research, design and implement disruptive processing new to the industry.
- Knowledge of food product development, development of color, flavor and texture in food and food applications.
- Technical knowledge of quality systems, food safety, and environmental management in food processing and understanding of federal regulations and government agencies (FDA, USDA, GRAS submissions).
- Experience in developing, testing and characterization models for food ingredients.
- Experience with experimental design, statistical data analysis and interpretation of results.
- Excellent verbal and written strategic and technical communication skills.
- Strong network of collaborators in the food science space both academic and industrial.
- Understanding of sensory science and the use of testing to advance the best product candidates.
- Understanding of the economics of the food industry to focus efforts on commercially viable projects and programs.
- An authentic interest and curiosity about science and healthy food.
Key Competencies:
- Is self-driven, creative, innovative and has strong business acumen.
- Demonstrate a high degree of energy, personal dedication, and ownership.
- Proven ability to leverage scientific insight for product development or food process.
- Can work effectively in a team setting and has a bias for action.
- Unyielding integrity and commitment to upholding Elo’s values.
Critical Success Factors:
- Market knowledge: Specifically, in Food and CPG industry – developing products, applications, pricing, value; customer focused and anticipates industry or market problems and opportunities.
- Business Acumen: Use all available resources to craft solutions that meet customer needs, supplier strategies and drive profitability. Use data and analytics driven decision making.
- Responsiveness: Communicate to internal and external partners in a timely manner.
- Collaboration: Understand the mission of the department and company and importance of working for sales, internal partners and between suppliers.
- Technical Expertise: Become recognized industry and internal technical resource and drive product development.
- Leadership: Establish trust through service, high emotional quotient, and positivity.
- Organization: Demonstrate great time management skills, and ability to prioritize.
Key Responsibilities include:
- Creating the food ingredient definition and design for new products. This includes providing insight into new product opportunities that fit with our synthetic biology platform as well as developing products emerging from the platform.
- Working with the Commercial team to identify and refine the product/market fit for the food ingredient(s) and building the partner/customer engagement plan.
- Building the product development plan, working with the synthetic biology, supply chain and regulatory teams, to identify critical milestones to achieve commercial timelines and to optimize our development process.
- Designing and carrying out sensory tests on targeted molecules and building analytical data to inform ingredient development and engage partners.
- Researching and sourcing key ingredients and equipment for frequent iteration and optimization of our products.
- Communicating effectively on our project progress and product strategy both internally and externally (for example to key partners and investors).
- Remaining current of new/competitive technologies as they emerge and determine their application and/or impact to our products.
- Building and leveraging external relationships with science, technology and commercial solution providers, professional organizations, customers, and vendors to maximize external capacity and competence.
- Technical knowledge of quality systems, food safety and environmental management in food processing and understanding of federal regulations and government agencies.
Compensation:
We offer a very competitive compensation package, consisting of salary, bonus, equity, and benefits to all team members. For health benefits we pay 100% of employees and their family members!
Elo Life Systems, Inc. is proud to be an affirmative action / equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, creed, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship status, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected under local, state, or federal laws.
