Job Description

Employee Type:

Full time

Location:

IL Downers Grove (Woodcreek Dr)

Job Type:

Research and Development

Job Posting Title:

Food Scientist – Value Engineering

About Us:

TreeHouse Foods (NYSE: THS) is a leading manufacturer of private label packaged foods and beverages, operating a network of over 20 production facilities and several corporate offices across the United States and Canada. At TreeHouse Foods, our commitment to excellence extends beyond our products and revolves around our people. We are investing in talent and creating a performance-based culture where employees can do their best work and develop their careers, directly impacting our mission to make high quality, affordable food for our customers, communities, and families. We hope you will consider joining the team and being part of our future.

Named one of America’s Best Large Employers by Forbes Magazine, we are proud to live by a strong set of values and strive to "Engage and Delight – One Customer at a Time." Guided by our values— Own It, Commit to Excellence, Be Agile, Speak Up, and Better Together. We are a diverse team driven by integrity, accountability, and a commitment to exceptional results. We embrace change, prioritize continuous learning, and foster collaboration, transparency, and healthy debate. Together, we set each other up for success to achieve enterprise-wide goals.

What You Gain:

• Competitive compensation and benefits program with no waiting period – you’re eligible from your first day!

• 401(k) program with 5% employer match and 100% vesting as soon as you enroll.

• Comprehensive paid time off opportunities, including immediate access to four weeks of vacation, five sick days, parental leave and 11 company holidays (including two floating holidays).

• Leaders who are invested in supporting your accelerated career growth, plus paid training, tuition reimbursement and a robust educational platform – DevelopU – with more than 10,000 free courses to support you along the way.

• An inclusive working environment where you can build meaningful work relationships with a diverse group of professionals. Take advantage of opportunities to build on our team-oriented culture, such as joining one of our Employee Resource Groups.

• Access to our wellness and employee assistance programs.

Job Description:

About the Role:

The Food Scientist supports the Value Engineering team by leading the design, planning, validation, and implementation of cost savings, efficiency improvements, and consolidation projects across the TreeHouse Foods portfolio. Working under limited supervision, this role applies sound scientific methods from bench development through commercialization, ensuring project objectives are met while maintaining product quality, safety, and regulatory compliance.

The Food Scientist is responsible for defining formulation, nutritional, and process parameters, executing lab and plant trials, analyzing data, and developing solutions that achieve business goals. This position partners cross-functionally with Division R&D, QA, Procurement, Finance, Operations, and Business Unit leads to ensure alignment, while also providing technical oversight during internal and external plant trials and start-ups.

In addition to strong technical expertise, the Food Scientist brings effective project management and communication skills to influence outcomes, support customer meetings, and generate pipeline opportunities that drive cost optimization through formulation and processing efficiencies. This role requires an aptitude for technical leadership, proactive problem-solving, and the ability to manage multiple projects across product categories.

You’ll add value to this role by performing various functions including, but not limited to:

• Under limited supervision, works collaboratively in the execution of development from bench to production scale for cost saving projects, product improvements, and consolidation efforts throughout the TreeHouse portfolio.
• Defines the formulation, nutritional and process parameters needed to develop a product which meets the project objective(s).  Understands the impact of these parameters to overall project.
• Applies sound scientific methods in all stages of development. Including planning and executing trials, analyzing data and defining solutions to achieve project goals.
• Identifies opportunities for competitive market advantage
• Provide judgement and experience to assure that an appropriate level of technical knowledge and discipline are being applied and utilized in business decisions
• Partner and communicate effectively with cross-functional groups
• Ensure the transfer of technology to the operations team when commercializing products. Provide technical oversight of internal and external manufacturing start-ups and ongoing technical service
• Contribute significantly and continually to attain results through the generation and application of advanced, specialized knowledge
• Generate and support pipeline work to drive cost optimization through formulation and processing efficiencies
• Participates in customer presentations and/or preparing product, content for customer meetings
• Ensure all activities follow established safety standards, regulatory requirements (FDA, UDSA & Kosher) and Good Manufacturing Procedures (GMP)

Important Details:

• This is a full-time, hybrid role on First Shift.
• Up to 30% travel is required.
• The anticipated compensation for this position ranges from $65,500 to $98,300 annually. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics and business or organizational needs. For certain roles, the successful candidate may be eligible for annual discretionary merit compensation award, bonus and equity pay.

You’ll fit right in if you have:

• Bachelor’s Degree Required - Type: Food Science/Engineering or Related Field
• Master’s Degree Preferred - Type: Food Science/Engineering or Related Field
• Three years’ experience in Food Science Product Development or No experience required if holding a PhD in Food Science/Engineering or Related Field
• Baking, Retort and/or aseptic product experience preferred
• Understanding of ingredient interactions/functionality
• Communicate effectively and openly while working in a cross-functional team.
• Must be a self-starter, independent, energetic and resourceful
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills
• Solid Project Management skills and experience
• Aptitude for technical leadership and project management
• Ability to successfully manage project workload across multiple product categories

Your TreeHouse Foods Career is Just a Click Away!

Click on the “Apply” button or go directly to to let us know you’re ready to join our team!

At TreeHouse Foods, we embrace diversity and inclusion for innovation and growth. We are committed to building inclusive teams and an equitable workplace for our employees to bring their true selves to work to help us “Engage and Delight – One Customer at a Time”. TreeHouse Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer that prohibits discrimination or harassment of any type. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Applicants who require an accommodation to participate in the job application or hiring process should contact  disability-accommodations@treehousefoods.com

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