Senior Scientist, Innovation Jobs

McCormick & Company, Inc., a global leader in the spice, flavor, and seasonings industry, is seeking a full-time Senior Scientist, Innovation. This new hire will work at the Technical Innovation Center, located in Hunt Valley, MD. The Senior Scientist, Innovation will report to a VP, Research and Innovation.

McCormick & Company, Incorporated is a global leader in flavor with approximately 14,000 employees worldwide. With over $6 billion in annual sales across 160 countries and territories, we manufacture, market, and distribute spices, seasoning mixes, condiments, and other flavorful products to the entire food industry including e-commerce, retail, food manufacturers and foodservice businesses. Our most popular brands include McCormick, French's, Frank's RedHot, Stubb's, OLD BAY, Lawry's, Zatarain's, Ducros, Vahiné, Cholula, Schwartz, Kamis, DaQiao, Club House, Aeroplane, and Gourmet Garden. Every day, no matter where or what you eat or drink, you can enjoy food flavored by McCormick. Our Purpose is "To Stand Together for the Future of Flavor and our Vision is "A World United by Flavor—where healthy, sustainable and delicious go hand in hand."

As a company recognized for its exceptional commitment to employees, McCormick offers a wide variety of benefits, programs, and services. Benefits include, but are not limited to, tuition assistance, medical, dental, vision, disability, group life insurance, 401(k), profit sharing, paid holidays, and vacations.

*Candidates will be considered for either a Scientist II or Senior Scientist position based on relevant skillset and experience.

Position Overview

The position of Senior Scientist Innovation is responsible for leading McCormick’s innovation efforts through basic research and development of new and novel flavor-related technologies. These technology developments relate to McCormick’s model food system technology platform. Within this role, Senior Scientist Innovation is required to exemplify many scientific inquiry characteristics necessary to assist the MFS Research & Innovation Group in developing and evaluating flavor ingredients in existing model food systems and newly created systems. This role requires initiating, leading, and managing model food research projects from conceptual experimentation to process and technology demonstration. The position requires applying the scientific method to conduct research and report findings, conclusions, and executive recommendations within internal confidential reports or in industrial or academic domains, including scientific papers, invention disclosures, patent applications, and customer meetings.

The Senior Scientist Innovation role requires understanding the pilot or commercial-scale plant equipment operations necessary for scale-up and demonstration of flavor products and applications through Business Unit Group and customer-inspired projects.

This position is responsible for outlining scale-up/demonstration processes and selecting appropriate prototype flavor products to support internal and external customer needs. This role assists in prototype formulation, flavor application, and building technical credibility with external customers through project interaction and reporting. This role may require supervising associate scientists, technicians, and research assistants as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Supervise, instruct, and train employees
• Project Management: Plan and lead projects, define and assess project requirements, and experimental design.
• Interface and communicate project status with stakeholders and R&I teammates.
• Investigating and assessing new ingredients and technologies.
• Developing flavor systems and model food systems
• Provide support for model food system evaluation support to the Optify team

Required Qualifications

• Experienced interpersonal communications and research management skills are required—interface experience with industry peers to develop open innovation and industry-relevant technologies.
• Pre-incubation and ideation
• Problem-solving - Ability to interpret data and solve complex problems with incomplete information. Ability to manage risk and make critical decisions.
• Extensive knowledge of using various ingredients for taste modification and a broad understanding of flavor interactions in different products (grains, proteins, beverages, confections, and pharmaceuticals).
• Commercialization document drafting
• Excellent computer skills - Includes the ability to make presentations that cover technical topics, R&D capabilities
• Education: Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of experience, Master’s degree with 4 years’ experience, or PhD with 1 year of experience. Degree work should be in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, food science, or related disciplines.
• Cost modeling and Return of Investment (ROI) analysis
• Experience with new product commercialization- strategic business planning for new product commercialization including:
• Ability to communicate effectively through written and oral communications with customers, interdepartmental groups, and business leaders as appropriate.
• General understanding of data science and the development of both statistical projection models and machine learning models.
• Proven intellectual curiosity and self-starter, collaborative behavior.
• Extensive knowledge of food ingredients and technologies for food, pharmaceutical, and beverage applications.
• Knowledge in bench-top process scale-up and pilot scale processing.
• SWOT analysis, market analysis, and value proposition
• Extensive knowledge in performing scientific experiments, statistical data analysis, and writing scientific publications, including invention disclosures, patent applications, industrial journal reviews, and seminar literature.
• Communication -excellent written and verbal communication.
• Ability to influence others and do so in a leadership role. This role occasionally interfaces externally, requiring excellent communication, presentation, and report-writing skills are necessary.
• Skilled in sensory science with the ability to conduct small group discrimination, descriptive, and affective test.
• Technical feasibility study
• Experience with customer-focused technology development and project management for technology transfer and commercialization.
• Collaboration - Project management and ability to interact, seek advice, teach, influence, and negotiate. Demonstrate the ability to influence across the organization.

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or Ph.D. in Food Science/Technology, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field

===

McCormick & Company is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

As a general policy, McCormick does not offer employment visa sponsorships upon hire or in the future.