Technologist, Technical Service - Salem, OR

Job Title : Technologist, Technical Service Location : Salem, OR Business Unit : Kerr by Ingredion Reports To : Technical Service Manager About Ingredion Join Ingredion, where innovation impacts lives worldwide! Without even realizing it, you’ve experienced our work in your favorite chocolate, your pet’s food, the paper you write on, and your everyday snacks. As a global powerhouse across more than 60 industries, we harness the potential of natural ingredients to transform lives. Whether you’re just starting your career or bringing years of experience, there's a place for you here to make a real difference. Be part of our team that values a wide range of perspectives and is committed to shaping a better world with every product we create. Job Overview Ingredion is seeking a Technologist responsible for providing technical support to customers for a broad range of food and beverage applications. The role will support customers with new product development while showcasing innovative ingredient solutions across the extensive portfolios of solutions provided by Kerr, Ingredion, and PureCircle. Activities will include conducting benchtop formula development, pilot scale-up trials, and supporting Operations with commercial production, travelling with Sales to customer meetings, and attending tradeshows. The Technologist will have the responsibility for growing, nurturing, and maintaining excellent working relationships with technical representatives at their assigned customer accounts. This role will assist the Go-To-Market team to promote value-added ingredient solutions to meet customer needs. What you will do Provide technical expertise and support to customers for a broad range of food & beverage applications. Demonstrate knowledge of the company’s technologies, solutions, and their applications relevant to customers’ projects and products. Promote value‑added ingredients and recommend solutions by phone/e‑mail, face‑to‑face and virtual meetings, presentations, and at trade shows. Form strong customer relationships with key technical individuals and decision makers at customer accounts. Work collaboratively with our Go‑To‑Market team to provide technical support in recommending solutions to customers, crafting customer value, and building knowledge to execute goals. Lead technical activities with multiple customer projects to prioritize, develop, and implement the Go‑To‑Market strategy with sales account managers and work effectively and efficiently in cross‑functional, interdepartmental teams. Lead and support internal, customer‑facing initiatives in support of business strategies. Prepare prototypes for presentations and tradeshows to showcase our new products. Work with Procurement and Quality teams to source ingredients that meet customer specifications, formulation needs, cost targets, and guidelines for incoming raw materials. Maintain and update customer project pipeline activities in our CRM system. Assist build‑out of specifications and label declarations for new products. Maintain a clean and organized lab area in accordance with GMPs. Serve as back up to the Technical Service Manager as assigned. What you will bring Bachelor’s degree, or technical equivalent, related to the field of Food Science, Food Management and/or Food Processing/Manufacturing. Minimum 2 years of product development and/or technical experience in the food and beverage industry and a minimum of 2 years of project management experience. Prior lab experience using standard benchtop lab equipment, analytical instrumentation, lab filtration systems, pilot scale equipment, and rovotop. Ability to read, analyze, interpret and understand business periodicals, professional journals, technical instructions and procedure, short correspondence, and other written communications. Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams). Ability to effectively present information in one‑on‑one and small group environments to other employees of the company across varied educational background and skillsets. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, and/or schedule form. Strong organizational skills and excellent verbal and written communication skills. Good individual decision‑making skills and ability to motivate self, team members, and colleagues with a sense of actionable progress and urgency. This job will require approximately 20 to 35% travel for trade shows, internal meetings, and customer meetings. Who you are Regularly identify areas that can be improved and constructively propose new solutions that increase value and improve business performance. Someone who explores multiple possibilities for tackling challenges and thinks “out of the box” to determine the best solutions. Someone who challenges the status‑quo and promotes bold thinking in order to create value. Pushes to continually drive personal and organizational results, takes educated risks on business opportunities with the guidance and support of management and can benchmark external best practices to outperform the competition. Proactively seeks knowledge of customers, their markets, and their businesses to grow customer relationships that support positive brand recognition with integrity. Why Join Ingredion Total Rewards Package – Competitive salary and performance‑based pay recognizing your contributions to our success. Comprehensive Benefits & Wellness Support – Health, long‑term savings, and resources for your physical, mental, and emotional well‑being. Career Growth – Learning, training, and development opportunities, including tuition reimbursement. Employee Recognition Program – A culture of real‑time appreciation, with personalized recognition rewards globally. Employee Discount Program – Provides exclusive discounts on everyday products, services, and travel. #J-18808-Ljbffr