Associate New Product Development Specialist

Are you looking to catapult your career by driving high-impact transformation with household brands? Do you crave an entrepreneurial, fast paced and engaging growth assignment working with incredible people from across the globe?

At Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, we are excited to start a new chapter of accelerated growth as part of Froneri – a global pure-play ice cream leader. With nearly 100 years of winning experience in the U.S, a robust portfolio of powerhouse brands that consumers know and love such as Häagen-Dazs, Drumstick, Dreyer’s/Edy’s, Skinny Cow, OREO, Outshine and Frollies, and the backing and coaching of European-based ice cream experts, we know we have the winning recipe.

Headquartered in Walnut Creek, the Bay Area’s hub for up-and-coming food trends, our DGIC team across our offices and factories is raising the bar on all things ice cream. Our growth has been tremendous in the past few years – moving from being #2 manufacturer in market to being #1 in 2024. The brands have strong investments in marketing support, quality improvements and exciting line extensions and innovation. DGIC has also been recognized by retail partners as the top manufacturer partner, winning the #1 position in the prestigious Advantage Award in 2024.

At DGIC, we don’t just hire for roles, we grow future business leaders. Here, everyone is encouraged to think like a general manager. That means owning your piece of the business, making bold decisions, and seeing the big picture. What makes us unique? You won’t just stay in your lane, you’ll get hands-on exposure to everything from Sales, Marketing and operations to Finance and Supply Chain. It’s like getting an MBA on the job (but with way more ice cream). If you’re curious, driven, and ready to learn a lot about a lot, this is the place to stretch your skills and fast-track your career.

Unleash your potential at Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream and discover what a sweet career we have in store for you!

What to expect from Dreyer’s

At the heart of our culture are four core values that guide our actions and define how we work together. We Take Ownership by staying committed from start to finish, making thoughtful decisions, and focusing our efforts on initiatives that drive growth, efficiency, and sustainability. We Do What Is Right by prioritizing transparency, setting clear roles and responsibilities, and speaking up when something doesn’t align with our values. We Seek to Improve through continuous innovation, embracing feedback, and learning from both our successes and setbacks. And We Are Better Together by making decisions that benefit the whole organization, fostering inclusion through diverse perspectives, and treating everyone with fairness and respect. These values are not just ideals—they are the behaviors we live by every day.

Main Purpose of the job

This role is an entry-level role into the New Product Development (NPD) position. The incumbent is expected to participate in new product development for innovation and renovation projects in support of the ice cream business and gain the skills and confidence to lead simpler projects under supervision.

The role provides a technical and project management resource on project teams working on “Innovation & Renovation”, “Factory support”, “Quality improvement” and “Material sourcing” projects. By working and assisting on these types of projects the NPD Associate Scientist gains product & process knowledge to further their impact and build their professional skills to be able to lead simpler projects themselves.

The incumbent ensures that all the products are developed and handed over effectively to run efficiently in the factories by running feasibility studies and technical trials before product launch.

Role and Activity

• Implementation of Innovation & Renovation projects under the supervision of Seniors/Mentors.
• Actively participate and shadow seasoned team members to learn all aspects of product development and project management – including and not limited to: formulation, bench work, Pilot Plant and factory trials, raw material selection and specifications, finished product evaluation and testing. It also involves learning the administrative aspect of the role (material creation and onboarding, recipe management, regulatory compliance etc.) and requires a grasp of project management skills and tools and timeline management.
• Product & process development activities, e.g. new product prototyping, bench top and pilot plant trial management.
• Raw material and finished product testing.
• Completion of costing analysis, preliminary manufacturing dossiers, trial and first-production technical and commercial sign-off documentation, quality specifications (CRQS) documents.
• Assure accuracy and a timely hand-over of new product documentation (manufacturing dossier) to the factory team to allow for a successful industrialization.
• Ensure that raw material and finished product specifications are complete and available and issued for hand over to the factory
• Ensure process capability conducted during the industrialization stage in order to ensure accurate costing of the products
• Support the first 3 production runs to ensure the product has been successfully integrated
• Participate in continued improvement and optimization of current product and processes within factories according to local business needs and supply situation.
• Ensure adherence to all regulatory, legal and company standards . Align with Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream requirements (includes nutritional and sustainability requirements).
• Work closely with internal procurement teams, and technical to ensure all new materials don’t add additional complexity/risk and/or waste to the factory.
• Continuous improvement of technical and interpersonal skills, while growing internal and external networks.
• Work towards developing expertise for product/process mastership within NPD . Develop the proficiencies required to be able to support our factory operations.

Measurable Outcomes

• Specified product development on involved projects launched on time at required cost, with vertical integration into the factory, and ability to keep quality through the prescribed shelf life.
• All paperwork and files completed correctly and on time
• Adherence to the internally agreed NPD process
• Ensure that data integrity is maintained.
• All issues arising from pre-launch trials and post-launch reviews are seen to be closed out.
• Ability to form positive relationships with both internal teams and external customers and suppliers
• Solid knowledge of Brand essence and values
• Active communication with the NPD manager on current projects, issues, concerns and PDP development during the planned one-on-one sessions
• Represent The Froneri Way of working through the behaviors and characteristics in our Operating Model and Core Values
• Attend to issues immediately when they happen. Focus on clear and straightforward solutions.
• Promote the importance of acting like an “owner”, rather than employees.
• Never walk by an unacceptable standard. Always uphold the highest quality and operational standards.

"WHAT YOU BRING"

• Bachelor’s degree in Food science, Dairy Science, Nutrition, Culinology, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
• Knowledge and understanding of ingredient functionality (eg. diary proteins, emulsifiers, stabilizers).
• Knowledge of physio-chemical laboratory methods to define and test raw materials and finished products.
• 0 – 2 years of experience in food manufacturing, R&D, or product development (internships, co-ops, or lab projects acceptable).
• Exposure to the manufacture of dairy products or frozen desserts a plus.
• Creative and analytical mindset—able to merge strategy with flawless execution.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work as part of a team.

Work Environment

In this position, employee will regularly work with and around others; in a wet and/or humid environment; in areas of high noise level; and around mechanical, electrical, and pressurized equipment. The work is fast paced. The position involves frequent exposure to nuts and other potential allergens.

The pay scale for this role takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The pay range for prospective employees in this role is SNE between $58,240 and $62,400 per year.

Visa sponsorship not available. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States now and in the future. The company does not provide visa sponsorship or any immigration support (including STEM OPT training plan and H-1B lottery registration) for this position.

Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream Inc. provides equal employment opportunities for all applicants, regardless of race, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.