Senior Innovation Scientist

Summary

Location: North Brunswick, NJ (on-site); anticipated relocation to NYC 2027

Reports to: Director, R&D Innovation

Position Summary: We are seeking a Senior Scientist to join our Innovation R&D team and lead the development of new products and technologies across our growing dairy portfolio.

This role is responsible for driving innovation projects from concept through commercialization, combining strong scientific expertise, hands-on product development, and effective project leadership. The successful candidate will spend time in the laboratory developing and testing products while also leading pilot and plant trials, managing project timelines, influencing key stakeholders, and partnering across functions to deliver successful launches.

The ideal candidate is a highly collaborative and organized scientist with deep technical knowledge, hands-on product development experience, exceptional project management skills, and intellectual curiosity. They thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy solving complex technical challenges, and effectively communicate and influence decisions across cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

Product Development and Technical Execution

• Lead product and technology development projects from concept through commercialization across the dairy category.
• Design, formulate, and optimize products to meet sensory, nutritional, technical, operational and cost objectives.
• Conduct hands-on bench-top formulation, prototype development and product optimization activities.
• Design and execute experiments, analyze results, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Apply knowledge of ingredient functionality, food chemistry, and processing technologies to solve technical challenges and improve product performance.
• Identify opportunities for product, ingredient, and technology innovation that support business growth and strategic priorities.
• Stay informed on consumer, market, and industry trends to inspire innovation.

Project Leadership and Execution

• Lead multiple innovation workstreams simultaneously by developing project plans, managing priorities, timelines and deliverables, and proactively identifying risks and solutions to keep projects on track.
• Maintain organized project documentation, technical reports, trial summaries, and development records.
• Communicate project progress, key learnings, recommendations and critical decisions to stakeholders and leadership.

Commercialization and Cross-Functional Partnership

• Lead technical development through pilot, plant trial, scale-up and commercialization phases.
• Partner closely with NPD, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Engineering and other functions as needed to ensure successful product launches.
• Collaborate with internal Technical Development and Product Excellence R&D teams to support scale-up, manufacturing readiness, operational execution and successful product launch implementation.
• Support and travel to pilot plant and manufacturing trials as needed to ensure successful implementation of products and processes.
• Assess technical feasibility, product stability, manufacturability, ingredient supply considerations and commercialization readiness throughout development.
• Collaborate with ingredient suppliers, external vendors, and technical partners to evaluate solutions, support development activities and accelerate project execution.

Communication and Influence

• Build strong partnerships across internal R&D and cross-functional teams to drive alignment and project success.
• Clearly communicate technical concepts, recommendations and project risks to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Influence decisions through scientific expertise, data-driven recommendations, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Represent R&D in project reviews, trial activities, and commercialization discussions.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Food Engineering or related scientific discipline. Advanced degree preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in dairy product development, process development, or innovation-focused R&D.
• Demonstrated experience leading product development projects from concept through commercialization.
• Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality, formulation development and food processing principles.
• Experience collaborating with ingredient suppliers, external vendors and technical partners.
• Proven project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, priorities and timelines in a fast-paced innovation environment.
• Ability to analyze technical data, draw conclusions and make recommendations.
• Self-starter with strong ownership, accountability and attention to detail.
• Strong communication, presentation and influencing skills with the ability to build alignment and drive decisions across technical and cross-functional teams.
• Ability to bring structure and clarity to complex projects while effectively navigating ambiguity and changing priorities.
• Willingness to travel up to 30% to support vendor visits, pilot and plant trials, cross-site collaboration and other business needs.

About Us

Chobani is a food maker with a mission of making high-quality and nutritious food accessible to more people, while elevating our communities and making the world a healthier place. In short: making good food for all. In support of this mission, Chobani is a purpose-driven, people-first, food-and-wellness-focused company, and has been since its founding in 2005 by Hamdi Ulukaya, an immigrant to the U.S. The Company manufactures yogurt, oat milk, and creamers – Chobani yogurt is America's No.1 yogurt brand, made with natural ingredients without artificial preservatives. Following the 2023 acquisition of La Colombe, a leading coffee roaster with a shared commitment to quality, craftmanship and impact, the Company began selling cold-pressed espresso and lattes on tap at cafés nationwide, as well as Ready to Drink (RTD) coffee beverages at retail. In 2025, Chobani acquired Daily Harvest, a modern brand offering consumers nutritious, delicious and convenient ready-to-make meals.

Chobani uses food as a force for good in the world – putting humanity first in everything it does. The company's philanthropic efforts prioritize giving back to its communities and beyond. Chobani manufactures its products in New York, Idaho, Michigan and Australia, and its products are available throughout North America and distributed in Australia and other select markets.

For more information, please visit or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Chobani is an equal opportunity employer. Chobani will not discriminate against any applicant for employment on any basis including, but not limited to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, military and/or veteran status, marital status, predisposing genetic characteristics and genetic information, or any other classification protected by federal, state, and local laws.

The salary range for this full-time position is $94,000.00 - $147,950.00, + bonus + equity + benefits. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Chobani provides a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision coverage, disability insurance, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, and tuition reimbursement. To help save for the future, all employees are eligible for a 401k match of 100% on up to 5% of eligible pay. To support growing families, we provide fertility and childcare assistance, and 12 weeks of parental leave at full pay after six months of continuous employment. In addition, we provide wellness resources which include an employee assistance program, fitness discounts, a wellness reimbursement, on-site gym access (certain locations) and a monthly wellness newsletter to connect you with resources and timely information. We offer various types of paid time of including: 120 hours of paid time off, 11 holidays, and paid volunteer time off.