Shearer's Foods · 1 month ago
Senior R&D Food Technologist
Massillon, OH, US
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level
7+ years expShearer’s Foods, founded in 1974 and headquartered in Massillon, OH, is a leading manufacturer of salty snacks, cookies, and crackers. They are seeking an experienced Senior Food Technologist to join their R&D team, where the role involves leading product development and commercialization for new snack flavors and seasonings.
Food and BeverageManufacturing
Responsibilities
Lead seasoning and product development from concept to commercialization ensuring compliance with safety, regulatory, and quality standards
Provide technical knowledge, direction, and leadership across product formulation, seasoning optimization, and process improvement initiatives
Partner with cross-functional teams—including Manufacturing, Commercialization, Procurement, Quality, and Vendors—to deliver innovation and value
Develop, plan, and manage multiple projects simultaneously across customers and categories, ensuring timely and successful execution through Stage-Gate governance
Conduct plant trials to evaluate and optimize new products, ingredients, and processes, including pre-, during-, and post-trial reviews
Execute analytical testing and shelf-life studies to ensure product performance, stability, and compliance with labeling and regulatory standards
Lead and support sensory evaluations, internal panels, and consumer testing to guide formulation decisions
Identify and deliver product cost savings, ingredient substitutions, or manufacturing efficiencies without compromising taste or quality
Leverage TraceGains and Genesis (or similar) systems to manage ingredient specifications, nutritional data, and quality attributes
Collaborate with sourcing teams to identify suppliers, evaluate new technologies, and ensure business continuity for critical ingredients
Coach and mentor junior technologists, providing technical and professional development support
Contribute to Shearer’s Value Creation Plan (VCP) by enabling growth through innovation, health-forward formulation, and flavor expansion
Translate consumer and market trends into actionable product opportunities that strengthen Shearer’s leadership in the private label and co-manufacturing space
Lead continuous improvement projects that advance Shearer’s technical capabilities and product quality standards
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related discipline required
7–10 years of experience in food product development, preferably in snack or CPG manufacturing
Expert knowledge of ingredient functionality, food safety, product formulation, and sensory evaluation
Proficiency with TraceGains and Genesis or similar nutritional labeling systems
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional product development projects within a Stage-Gate process
Strong communication, collaboration, and project management skills with ability to influence across technical and commercial functions
Experience mentoring or supervising technical team members
Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams)
Willingness to travel up to 10% for plant trials, supplier visits, and customer collaboration
Preferred
Master's degree in Food Science or related discipline preferred
Company
Shearer's Foods
Shearer's Foods is a manufacturer of processed foods including snack products.
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Shearer's Foods has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2024 (2)
2022 (3)
2021 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$503MKey Investors
Deutsche Bank SecuritiesProspect Capital Corporation
2024-09-12Debt Financing· $450M
2023-12-13Acquired
2010-04-05Debt Financing· $35M
Leadership Team
Mark McNeil
CEO
Fritz Kohmann
CFO
Recent News
Food Business News
2025-12-10
Dayton Daily News
2025-11-08
2025-10-26
Company data provided by crunchbase