Kemin is seeking an innovative and commercially minded scientist to drive the development of next-generation palatant technologies and ingredient solutions for the pet food industry. This role will lead the design, execution, and interpretation of scientific experiments that support product innovation, commercialization, scale-up, and continuous improvement, while identifying emerging technologies and new opportunities to expand Kemin’s innovation capabilities. The ideal candidate is a curious, proactive, and collaborative technical professional who combines strong scientific expertise with a commercial-first mindset.

They will translate customer and market needs into differentiated technical solutions, work effectively across Marketing, Sales, Operations, Regulatory, Quality, suppliers, and customers, and communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. Success in this role requires comfort with ambiguity, a willingness to challenge conventional thinking, calculated risk-taking, and the ability to adapt quickly as business priorities evolve.

This is an onsite-based position in the US. 

• Develop and evaluate next-generation palatant technologies using a wide range of scientific tools, analytical techniques, and creative problem-solving approaches.
• Design, execute, and interpret experiments to support product innovation and commercialization.
• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Sales, Operations, Regulatory, and Quality teams to accelerate innovation.
• Engage proactively with suppliers and customers to identify unmet needs and translate market insights into technical solutions.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities to expand our innovation toolbox beyond existing capabilities.
• Support product scale-up, commercialization, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Communicate project progress, technical findings, and recommendations clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Contribute to the development of intellectual property, scientific publications, and customer-facing technical presentations.

• M.S (with at least 3 years of industry experience) or Ph.D. in Food Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Animal Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
• Strong background in Flavor Chemistry
• Experience leveraging statistical software packages (such as JMP, XLSTAT, SIMCA, Minitab) to generate actionable insights through ANOVA, Regression, Multivariate Data Analysis-PCA, Cluster Analysis, Factor Analysis, and OPLS-DA.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively within cross-functional teams.

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