Food Technologist-Flavor at Beyond Meat

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

At Beyond Meat, we started with simple questions. Why do you need an animal to create meat? Why can’t you build meat directly from plants? Thus, we make plant-based meats that allow families to eat more, not less, of the traditional dishes they love while feeling great about the health, sustainability, and animal welfare benefits of plant protein. Our goal is to bring exciting change to the plate—and Beyond.

Beyond Meat is focused on raising the bar on talent and dedicated to shaping an inclusive culture that drives excellence, innovation, and results, engagement, and employee experience. The R&D team is a matrix organization within Beyond Meat that is dedicated to creating plant-based protein products that are leading the gold standard globally.  We are looking for an outstanding individual to join the Flavor Team located in El Segundo, CA as a Food Technologist. 

The Food Technologist on the Flavor Team plays a crucial role at Beyond Meat. They need a strong scientific background, excellent problem-solving skills, high attention to detail, a team-oriented mentality, to be self-motivated, creative, results-oriented, and resourceful.  Food Technologists have a keen understanding and hands-on experience with innovative flavor development for food products and the ability to think beyond standard methods, as well as to independently lead and reach conclusions and deliver results within a matrix organization. 

The Food Technologist on the Flavor Team is responsible for developing  the flavor/aroma profiles of our products and through this work to support and deliver innovative plant-based food products through scale-up, commercialization and market launch.  This person will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact in our core scientific understanding, to work closely and creatively with researchers, food product formulators, and culinary specialists to arrive at optimal flavor/aroma profiles and creative new food products, and grow professionally using the skills described herein. The Food Technologist candidate must have the ability to follow the Scientific Method, and possess the skill to use negative results as an opportunity to learn and develop a better product.TASKS, DUTIES, & GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIESSupport the R&D team in attaining short- and long-term product development goals, adapting to evolving market trendsConduct flavor application tasks under supervision including but not limited to testing and batching new flavors in product prototypes, cooking prototypes and conducting cook or use-case studies, tasting prototypes and providing organoleptic input/learnings from experiments to  new flavor application ideas and experiments, modifying and improving existing formulations, creating and maintaining formula sheets, and developing and evaluating prototypes dailyCoordinate and participate in flavor tastings with the teamAssist scientists with test objectives for product development, research, sensory and shelf-life experiments and assist with execution of sensory testing if neededContinuously develop flavor/aroma descriptive abilities and lexicon to support flavor application work and participate in team sessions/trainings   Provide prototype samples for shipment to various customersCross-functional collaboration with internal Beyond Meat teams and outside vendors, such as flavor houses, ingredient suppliers, etc., to ensure success of productsCollect, use and analyze quantitative data to guide flavor and product development Participation in sensory studies may be requiredMaintain a laboratory notebook and experimental records; provide written and verbal reports of flavor activitiesLearn and abide by Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)Ensure that strict hygiene and food safety standards are met dailyProtect Beyond Meat IP and confidential informationPerform other assigned responsibilities and scientific techniques as neededProvide general laboratory support, source and purchase ingredient supplies, and share in laboratory cleaningAssist in validating, calibrating, and collecting data from analytical instrument sand maintaining equipment logs and service recordsUpload data to appropriate databases and/or spreadsheetsMay supervise Associate Food Technologists and/or Batching AssistantsQUALIFICATIONS:
Education, Technical Skills, and/or Previous ExperienceBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Chemistry, or a similar scientific field with 0-2+ years of experienceExperience in flavor application for food product development and developing innovative or complex flavor profiles preferredAbility to work with information and data from multiple sources, including organoleptic and sensory information, technical and scientific data, nutritional information, regulatory and safety information, timeline and project informationAbility to independently manage more than one project at the same time and work in a fast-paced, dynamic environmentKnowledge of lab techniques and previous work in a lab environmentStrong verbal and written communication skillsCommand of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google SuiteThe ability to work closely with a manager by communicating ongoing progress updates The ability to work in a team environment and also be self-directed at timesWORK ENVIRONMENT/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTSPosition requires to taste and smell food-grade ingredientsPosition requires the ability to stand or sit for prolonged periods, climb, kneel, bend, and consistently lift up to 25 lbs.Position located in a mix of typical laboratory, pilot plant, and office environments$65,000 - $75,000 a yearThe starting annual base pay for this El Segundo, CA based role is between USD $65,000 and $75,000. The actual base is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, and market demands.  The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. The role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, and benefits.Beyond Meat is an equal employment opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, ancestry, veteran status, marital status, gender identify, sexual orientation, national origin, liability for military service, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. If you are interested in learning the status of your application, please note you will be contacted directly by the appropriate human resources contact person if you are selected for further consideration. Beyond Meat reserves the right to defer or close a vacancy at any time.Apply for this job