Lead Scientist in Food Safety and Quality Assurance

2 weeks ago

Franklin, Tennessee, United States Mars Incorporated Full time
Position Overview:

Lead Scientist in Food Safety and Quality Assurance - Thermal Processing

The Lead Scientist in Food Safety and Quality Assurance is a pivotal role within our Mars Incorporated team. This position plays a crucial part in supporting the Innovation, Supply, and External Manufacturing divisions from the initial product concept through to market introduction, spearheading thermal process development initiatives across all packaging types within the wet, dry, care, and treats product categories.

This role is instrumental in the development and assessment of equipment, conducting validation activities for kill steps, pinpointing sterilization possibilities, scaling cooking processes, and ensuring adherence to kill step standards for product validation.

Through effective collaboration with Innovation, Quality Control/Assurance, Engineering, and Global Thermal Process experts, this position will assess new technologies and design efficient kill steps, incorporating these protocols into HACCP plans to guarantee product safety and quality.

Key Qualifications:
  • Master's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Engineering, or a related discipline. (PhD preferred)
  • A minimum of 10 years of experience in thermal processing within the food or pet food sector, with a preference for pet food manufacturing experience.
  • Experience in Quality Assurance within a multinational food organization.
  • At least 3 years in a leadership role overseeing teams.
  • Advanced knowledge of retort systems, particularly steam and steam-air, water spray and cascading retorts, and hydrostatic cookers.
  • Familiarity with microbiology validation protocols, including the creation and execution of validation studies.
  • Comprehensive understanding of quality systems such as ISO 9000/FSSC22000, and quality programs like HACCP/GMP/Hygienic design.
  • Knowledge of US FDA and USDA regulations pertaining to thermally processed low-acid and acidified foods.
  • Strong engineering principles and a background in experimental design and statistical data analysis.
  • Willingness to travel as required.
Core Responsibilities:
  • Collaborate with product and process developers to ensure that new wet, dry, and care/treat products meet performance criteria (safety, palatability, appearance) and comply with regulations.
  • Act as a key decision-maker regarding product safety to safeguard the business, customers, and consumers.
  • Serve as the corporate Thermal Process Authority in the US, maintaining relationships with regulatory agencies (FDA, USDA, State of California) and ensuring compliance with scheduled processes and filings.
  • Provide technical leadership in the development and application of technologies for microbial inactivation.
  • Design and develop validation studies for thermal processes, dryer validations, sanitation validations, and controls for Salmonella.
  • Lead the creation and implementation of microbiology validation protocols to ensure the safety and efficacy of processes, including conducting in-plant experiments and analyzing data for microbial inactivation.
  • Establish thermal processes for both new and existing products, ensuring that improvements and modifications enhance safety and efficiency.
  • Develop test plans for heat and temperature distribution, execute tests, and analyze data to quantify thermal processing parameters.
  • Identify and pursue opportunities to enhance thermal processes through both traditional and innovative technologies.
  • Oversee long-term thermal process development activities in coordination with Engineering and R&D teams.
  • Manage minor capital projects related to thermal processing and provide guidance on major capital projects (e.g., sterilization systems).
  • Develop pilot plant capabilities to estimate factory cook times, ensuring product safety and package integrity.
  • Collaborate with R&D teams to investigate cook profile interactions and product performance.
  • Contribute to and engage with Mars global and regional Thermal Process initiatives, including training, equipment testing, process establishment, and incident resolution.
  • Educate R&D associates on thermal processing principles and their relationship to food safety and product quality.
  • Provide technical leadership to co-manufacturers in validation activities related to thermal processes.
  • Mentor and coach Thermal Process Technologists across all US Wet, Dry, and Care/Treat facilities.
  • Offer strategic engineering insights into process engineering and development, remaining informed about current and future manufacturing processes.
  • Support the development of HACCP studies and preparations for regulatory audits.
What to Expect from Mars:
  • Collaborate with over 140,000 diverse and talented associates, all guided by our Five Principles.
  • Join a purpose-driven organization, where we are committed to building the world we aspire to tomorrow, today.
  • Access best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including our in-house Mars University.
  • Receive a competitive salary and benefits package, including a company bonus.
Mars is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you require assistance or accommodation during the application process due to a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.

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