Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces
Sr. Research & Development Scientist
Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces, Walnut Creek, California, United States, 94598
About Kinder's
What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? There’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there’s plenty of hard work because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it.
With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re privately held and founder-led, a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless, charting our own course and chasing big ideas to make food unforgettable.
As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we’re looking for smart, scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re seeking a place where you can see the real impact of your work, this is it. Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.
Senior R&D Scientist – Overview The Senior R&D Scientist will report to the VP of R&D and serve as a key technical leader. This role drives long-term R&D projects while supporting speed to market and the quality of new innovations. You will tackle complex technical challenges, collaborate with internal and external partners, and apply your deep knowledge of food science to create best-in-class products.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Innovation & Research : Lead evaluation and qualification of new ingredients, including novel flavor components and functional ingredients, focusing on clean-label standards without compromising performance.
Identify and translate emerging food science and technology trends into actionable, long-term innovation platforms.
Establish and manage strategic development projects with third-party research partners, ingredient suppliers, independent R&D organizations, and academic institutions to accelerate innovation.
Act as a subject matter expert, providing guidance to cross-functional teams on formulation, processing, and ingredient functionality.
Product Development & Commercialization : Lead complex new product development projects from concept through commercialization, covering food science, packaging, formulation, and manufacturing processes.
Design and execute experiments from benchtop prototypes to plant trials, ensuring quality, sensory, and shelf-life standards.
Develop and maintain accurate product specifications, formulations, and processing parameters.
Collaborate with Commercialization, Innovation, Operations, and Quality teams to ensure seamless product launches.
Product Optimization & Quality Enhancement : Support long-term product optimization focused on quality, scalability, clean-label standards, and flavor.
Lead technical initiatives to improve product performance, including shelf-stability and freshness across the portfolio.
Apply scientific principles to troubleshoot and resolve complex product, sourcing, or production challenges.
Partner with Sourcing and Operations to identify and approve alternative ingredients and process improvements that enhance efficiency without compromising quality.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Coordination : Partner with cross-functional leaders to drive project alignment and successful delivery of key programs.
Provide clear communication on risks and opportunities to senior leadership.
Champion the R&D process and foster accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Skills & Experience
10+ years of hands-on R&D or product development experience in the CPG food and/or ingredients industry. Experience in seasonings, sauces, marinades, frozen foods, or related categories is a plus.
Proven experience managing a portfolio of complex technical projects using a robust product lifecycle process.
Experience across the product development lifecycle from benchtop formulation to full-scale commercialization.
Ability to lead complex technical projects and work with cross-functional teams.
Experience collaborating with external partners such as ingredient suppliers and research institutions is desirable.
Strong working knowledge of food chemistry, ingredient functionality, and processing/packaging technologies.
Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or related field; Master’s or PhD is a plus.
Personal Attributes for Success : Growth mindset, willingness to learn and teach, relationship-building with teammates and consumers, humility, agility, collaboration, self-starter initiative, and comfort working in a fast-moving team.
The expected starting salary range for this role is $120,000 - $133,000 per year. We may pay more or less than the posted range based on location, education, qualifications, performance, and business needs.
Seniority level Mid-Senior level
Employment type Full-time
Job function Research, Analyst, and Information Technology
Industries Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Don’t see a position that fits? Tell us more.
Quality Tech – Food Manufacturing (PM Shift) – Oakland, CA
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With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re privately held and founder-led, a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless, charting our own course and chasing big ideas to make food unforgettable.
As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we’re looking for smart, scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re seeking a place where you can see the real impact of your work, this is it. Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.
Senior R&D Scientist – Overview The Senior R&D Scientist will report to the VP of R&D and serve as a key technical leader. This role drives long-term R&D projects while supporting speed to market and the quality of new innovations. You will tackle complex technical challenges, collaborate with internal and external partners, and apply your deep knowledge of food science to create best-in-class products.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Innovation & Research : Lead evaluation and qualification of new ingredients, including novel flavor components and functional ingredients, focusing on clean-label standards without compromising performance.
Identify and translate emerging food science and technology trends into actionable, long-term innovation platforms.
Establish and manage strategic development projects with third-party research partners, ingredient suppliers, independent R&D organizations, and academic institutions to accelerate innovation.
Act as a subject matter expert, providing guidance to cross-functional teams on formulation, processing, and ingredient functionality.
Product Development & Commercialization : Lead complex new product development projects from concept through commercialization, covering food science, packaging, formulation, and manufacturing processes.
Design and execute experiments from benchtop prototypes to plant trials, ensuring quality, sensory, and shelf-life standards.
Develop and maintain accurate product specifications, formulations, and processing parameters.
Collaborate with Commercialization, Innovation, Operations, and Quality teams to ensure seamless product launches.
Product Optimization & Quality Enhancement : Support long-term product optimization focused on quality, scalability, clean-label standards, and flavor.
Lead technical initiatives to improve product performance, including shelf-stability and freshness across the portfolio.
Apply scientific principles to troubleshoot and resolve complex product, sourcing, or production challenges.
Partner with Sourcing and Operations to identify and approve alternative ingredients and process improvements that enhance efficiency without compromising quality.
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Coordination : Partner with cross-functional leaders to drive project alignment and successful delivery of key programs.
Provide clear communication on risks and opportunities to senior leadership.
Champion the R&D process and foster accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Skills & Experience
10+ years of hands-on R&D or product development experience in the CPG food and/or ingredients industry. Experience in seasonings, sauces, marinades, frozen foods, or related categories is a plus.
Proven experience managing a portfolio of complex technical projects using a robust product lifecycle process.
Experience across the product development lifecycle from benchtop formulation to full-scale commercialization.
Ability to lead complex technical projects and work with cross-functional teams.
Experience collaborating with external partners such as ingredient suppliers and research institutions is desirable.
Strong working knowledge of food chemistry, ingredient functionality, and processing/packaging technologies.
Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or related field; Master’s or PhD is a plus.
Personal Attributes for Success : Growth mindset, willingness to learn and teach, relationship-building with teammates and consumers, humility, agility, collaboration, self-starter initiative, and comfort working in a fast-moving team.
The expected starting salary range for this role is $120,000 - $133,000 per year. We may pay more or less than the posted range based on location, education, qualifications, performance, and business needs.
Seniority level Mid-Senior level
Employment type Full-time
Job function Research, Analyst, and Information Technology
Industries Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Don’t see a position that fits? Tell us more.
Quality Tech – Food Manufacturing (PM Shift) – Oakland, CA
#J-18808-Ljbffr