Senior Coatings Product Development Specialist

At McCormick, we bring our passion for flavor to work each day. We encourage growth, respect everyone's contributions and do what's right for our business, our people, our communities and our planet. Join us on our quest to make every meal and moment better.

Founded in Baltimore, MD in 1889 in a room and a cellar by 25-year-old Willoughby McCormick with three employees, McCormick is a global leader in flavour. With over 14,000 employees around the world and more than $6 Billion in annual sales, the Company manufactures, markets, and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavourful products to the entire food industry, retail outlets, food manufactures, food service businesses and consumers.

While our global headquarters are in the Baltimore, Maryland, USA area, McCormick operates and serves customers from nearly 60 locations in 25 countries and 170 markets in Asia-Pacific, China, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and the Americas, including North, South and Central America with recognized brands.

At McCormick, we have over a 100-year legacy based on our “Power of People” principle. This principle fosters an unusually dedicated workforce requiring a culture of respect, recognition, inclusion and collaboration based on the highest ethical values.

With management guidance the Product Development Scientist - Coatings , completes difficult technical assignments which require a knowledge of, and experience in, the discipline. Applies initiative and creativity in assignments. May provide technical direction to, or may supervise, lower-level team members. Progressively establishes own work schedule and research plans under general supervision. Will recommend changes in practices and procedures. May be called upon to provide technical expertise to other staff members and may have frequent customer contact.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

• Lead and direct the activities of the Flavous Solutions and Consumer Research and Development team from concept and recipe development to trial and factory validation and commercial production. Work effectively with cross-functional network to ensure NPD executed with excellence. In alignment with the R&D Director India and SEA ensure resources are appropriately deployed against development projects which support the strategic plan for growth and profit improvement.
• Understands the principles of designing for food safety and quality. Familiar with food microbiology and common food pathogens. Able to provide guidance to more junior members of the team. Knows how to formulate food to ensure shelf stability and food safety.
• Can establish product quality specifications in collaboration with the quality department. Able to plan and conduct shelf-life testing and communicate requirements clearly to technicians or supporting team members. Is aware of customer specific food safety and quality requirements and knows to seek support if required when developing products.
• Consistently delivers PD briefs as per customer requirements with a moderate understanding of formulation implications on production process and product quality. With guidance can mitigate risks. Consistently delivers PD briefs as per customer requirements with a moderate understanding of formulation implications on production process and product quality. With guidance can mitigate risks.
• Able to independently establish a hypothesis and set up an experiment to solve straight forward problems and test simple variables relating to product design. Can apply simple statistics to determine significance of experimental results. Able to complete the development of a product formulation and production process design and provide guidance on selection of production line and site.
• Able to co-ordinate a cross functional FRA / Trial meeting and run a production line trial. Able to identify formulation and trial issues and proactively seek out assistance to resolve issues. Understand specific customers’ product, food safety and regulatory requirements and use in product design. Has a basic understanding of factory design and considers batch size, yield, pre-weigh process and manufacturing process flow when designing formulations and production processes. Will consult cross functionally during product design.
• Able to search for and find relevant and useful past and new information and use it to define the next research step. Able to collate and report data without supervision. Has a basic understanding of packaging design and what influences pack and product interaction and shelf life. Knows to and proactively consults the packaging technologist in new product design.
• Able to understand and execute R&D related software (SAP, SAPRD etc) and systems (GATE, INTELEX etc).

Education & Experience

B-Tech in Food Technology with 5-8 years Product Development experience. Must have experience in leading product development and technical teams across various product categories but preferably experience in Wet / Dry Seasoning development. Experience in product development formulation (food) with demonstrated experience in Manufacturing and Quality Assurance Techniques.

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, colour, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.