Food Scientist

Our Secret Ingredient is our Employees!

McClancy Foods & Flavors (“McClancy” or the “Company”) is a privately-held, manufacturer of blends, spices, and seasoning mixes for foodservice, commercial and retail customers. For almost 70 years, the Company has worked with national, international, regional, and local customers in a variety of industries to create formulations and food products that will nourish, delight, and exceed expectations of families across the globe.

The Company is headquartered in Fort Mill, SC near Charlotte, NC. For additional information, please visit

 Build a great career with a great manufacturing company in the Carolinas!

Position Summary: McClancy Foods & Flavors is seeking an innovative and results-driven Food Scientist to join our Research & Development team. This role develops, optimizes, and commercializes flavor systems, seasonings, sauces, dry blends, and other food products that meet customer expectations and business objectives. The Food Scientist will collaborate cross-functionally with Sales, Quality, Operations, Procurement, and customers to create high-quality solutions from concept through commercialization.

Description of Duties:

• Develop and reformulate food products, seasoning blends, sauces, dressings, and flavor systems to meet customer and company objectives.
• Design and execute product development trials, bench-top prototypes, pilot runs, and production-scale validations.
• Evaluate ingredients, flavors, processing methods, and packaging solutions to enhance product quality, functionality, and cost efficiency.
• Conduct sensory evaluations, shelf-life studies, and product performance testing.
• Maintain detailed project documentation, including formulations, specifications, test results, and technical reports.
• Support commercialization activities by coordinating plant trials and ensuring successful scale-up from laboratory to production.
• Collaborate with Sales and customers to translate market trends, customer needs, and business opportunities into innovative product solutions.
• Provide technical expertise regarding ingredient functionality, food safety, labeling requirements, and regulatory compliance.
• Work with Procurement to identify alternative ingredients and cost-saving opportunities while maintaining product quality.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to product quality, manufacturing efficiency, and innovation.
• Stay current on food industry trends, emerging technologies, and consumer preferences.

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific field.
• 3+ years of food product development experience in a food manufacturing or ingredient company environment.
• Knowledge of food chemistry, ingredient functionality, food processing, and sensory science.
• Experience conducting product trials and commercial scale-up activities.
• Experience with seasonings, dry blends, sauces, dressings, flavors, or ingredient systems.
• Knowledge of FDA, USDA, and food labeling regulations.
• Experience supporting customer-facing product development projects.
• Understanding of quality systems, HACCP, GMPs, and food safety requirements.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and formulation documentation systems.

Physical demands and work environment : The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee must meet to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical demands : While performing the duties of this job, the associate is occasionally required to stand, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop; kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear; taste or smell. The associate must occasionally lift and /or move up to 30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus.

Work Environment: While performing the duties of the job, the associate is exposed to a normal office atmosphere as well as laboratory ingredient dust, aromas, and noise.

So why pick McClancy? We offer:

• Competitive pay, with incentives
• NO LAYOFFS DURING PANDEMIC (40 HRS WEEKLY FOR OUR EMPLOYEES)
• Comprehensive benefits program (medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and more!
• PTO & Vacation time off upon hire

EOE- Encouraging all interested to apply **