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Form of workCompany Description: Instinct® is a rapidly growing, family-owned marketer and manufacturer of science based 100% natural pet food for dogs and cats. Instinct® is the Raw Brand, with a mission to get more raw nutrition into every bowl of dogs and cats, for proven healthier and happier long lives. Our company mission is to Empower people to transform the lives of pets. We are committed to hiring and developing a team of passionate, performance-oriented professionals who live by our 4 values of championing raw, empowered to make a difference, collaborating as one team, and striving for excellence through continuous learning and improvement. Our home office is located in St. Louis, Missouri with our Center of Excellence Raw Food kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Instinct® is part of the family-owned group, Agrolimen, who owns leading pet food and human food businesses in the US, China, Europe, and Africa.
Position Summary:
This recognized leader in Research & development has accountability to perform as the subject matter expert in finding science-based solutions through new technology, product development, and internal research initiatives while upholding our commitment to raw nutrition. This individual will collaborate in partnership with Marketing, Operations, Food Safety, Procurement, Finance, and R&D teams to execute cross functional initiatives that deliver both top line and bottom-line revenue growth. Additionally, providing technical leadership specific to Instinct’s raw frozen and freeze-dried.
Primary Job Responsibilities:
- Deliver new product development, commercialization, and limited post-launch support for key innovation projects.
- Lead the ideation, testing, and validation for formula cost optimization projects.
- Provide technical perspectives related to product/process changes to ensure products are safe, stable, and meet regulatory requirements.
- Design and execute experiments and analyze / interpret data to make sound technical recommendations on product and process opportunities.
- Develop and lead research activities for internal initiatives as well as mange 3rd party initiatives.
- Demonstrate deep understanding of experimental design and effective application in research projects.
- Perform basic economic evaluations on ingredients, ingredient suppliers, and product formulations using Concept 5 formulation database.
- Promote and sustain effective working relationships with outside key partners.
- Be a Raw Champion. Strong understanding in nutrition and the ability to educate others on benefits of science-based nutrition.
Personal Attributes:
- Strong organizational skills, managing multiple projects, with the ability to work independently or as a team on tight deadlines.
- Ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment and comfortable operating at a rapid pace with strong execution orientation.
- Strategic thinker, who is naturally curious about pets, the market, and the world around them with the ability to translate the brand vision into viable on shelf products.
- Strong attention to detail with excellent problem solving and practical learning skills.
- Ability to effectively communicate, both verbal and written.
Skills and Technical Expertise:
- Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Excel and Word
- Basic project management skills
- Strong understanding of product development, food manufacturing, and processing equipment
Required Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemical/Food Engineering, Chemistry, or other related applied science/engineering disciplines required.
- Master’s is preferred.
- Must have a minimum of 6 years’ experience in Research & Development, Innovation, Engineering or Product Formulation.
- Experience working with and in manufacturing facilities.
- Strong knowledge of raw materials, ingredient functionality and claims substantiation.
- Demonstrated ability to manage and lead multiple complex, large-scale, technically driven projects from concept to commercialization.
- Strong technical problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills
- Ability to challenge assumptions and build robust technical plans to test hypotheses.
- Experience in pet food formulation and technologies such as High-Pressure Processing and Freeze Drying is also preferred.
Travel Requirements:
Requires travel up to 20% of time.
Compensation and Benefits
Competitive compensation package includes health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, short and long-term disability, paid time off, Purpose Days off for company partner volunteer opportunities, and 401k with company match
Our Instinct is to CHAMPION Diversity
At Instinct, we are as passionate about our people as we are about the pets we call family. We are committed to inclusion, empowerment, and respect. We believe that just like our pets, what sets us apart unleashes our greatest strengths. We thrive on the ability to not only empower people to transform the lives of pets through raw nutrition, but also to empower each other to inspire a culture that celebrates our differences. Our unique approach to pet food is what makes us who we are as a company, and our individual identities are what makes us a successful, innovative, authentic team.
