Whitecastle Employment – Research & Development Technician

Job Description:

This position will be responsible for evaluating and recommending ingredients, products, consumer preparation methods, restaurant operational procedures, packaging, and equipment to test and ultimately launch for both divisions.

This will include setting and maintaining specifications, providing competitive and category analysis, utilizing consumer research tools, managing consumer sensory panels, planning and overseeing operational testing. This position will make recommendations plus support efforts of the Product Innovation Team in growing sales for the Retail and Restaurant Division through the R&D process of bringing successful products to market.

Job Responsibilities:

• Support continuous development and improvement of existing restaurant and retail products, packaging, and procedures to modify and optimize as consumer trends shift, supply chain varies, regulations change, and/or QA standards evolve.
• Monitor industry and category trends. Benchmark competitive products to identify potential unmet consumer needs and growth opportunities for White Castle restaurants and retail shopper categories.
• Recommend, create, and assist with new product development for retail, restaurant, and manufacturing divisions.
• Evaluate, test, and recommend product packaging and associated operational or consumer preparation procedures for retail and restaurant items.
• Manage the R&D project processes and the accompanying documents, product folders, activity, and communications around each product, packaging, or procedure in the development pipeline as well as the projects/products that have moved into implementation phases.
• Manage our physical innovation center/test kitchen and its associated inventory, equipment, and supplies, as well as coordinating with internal departments, and external business partners on facility functionality.
• Support other departments in executing product launches. This includes product photoshoots, QA/QC, product, and packaging specifications, etc..

Job Requirements:

• Ability to utilize Microsoft products for business, reporting, and communicating.
• At least 3-5 years of foodservice development, consumer product goods (CPG) innovation, or food lab experience required.
• Ability to perform basic food costing.
• An understanding of the Stage-Gate development process & fundamental research methodologies.
• Knowledge of food production, ingredients, recipe building, R&D kitchen equipment operating, and preparation methods.
• Requires a 2-year culinary or food science degree or related field, and prior food industry experience.
• Preferably in an R&D capacity.
• Understanding of basic food safety, HAACP, and GMP.

Job Details:

Company:  White Castle

Vacancy Type:  Full Time

Job Location: Columbus, OH, US

Application Deadline: N/A

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