Who We Are

At Freshpet, our goal is to change the way people nourish their pets forever. We strive to strengthen the bond between people and our pets so that we both live longer, healthier, and happier lives while being kind to the planet. We believe that if we can create fresh, real foods that pets love and help them live healthier lives that their pet parents will also enjoy the many benefits of a rich life shared with a pet.

We started off with a mission to change the way pet parents feed dogs and cats, but we also wanted to be a company that had a thoughtful approach to how we operate. We wanted to do things differently, make great products but be gentle to the planet, good to the people who touch our business, and leave a positive impact with everything we do. We work hard every day to ensure that the original vision is met, starting with making the highest quality foods in our kitchens to running our business with integrity, transparency, and social and environmental responsibility. IT’S AMAZING WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU START COMPLETELY FRESH!

What You Will Do

You will drive the execution of innovation in Freshpet food product developments. Your focus will be on natural preservation technologies that can help fresh foods retain its nutritional and sensorial properties. You will investigate and evaluate ingredients and processes that help deliver fresh foods at their best. You are involved with the formulation, producing of sample batches in the lab/pilot plant, conducting plant trials, leading cuttings, communicating with sales, marketing, operation, and quality assurance. Your expertise in food microbiology has a positive impact on fresh food production processes.

How You Will Make an Impact

Business

• Manage multiple projects and show technical competence in the planning and completion of assigned projects leading to the development and implementation into production of new or revised products without supervision
• Seeks, evaluates, and stablishes external collaborations with company and academic experts in food research areas
• Records, collates, evaluates, and interprets experimental data and makes appropriate recommendations to all levels in the organization through written or oral reports. Maintains an accurate laboratory notebook of all intellectual property
• Prepare and conduct meeting updates, product cuttings, presentations, shelf-life testing and cost analysis to project team members
• Effectively organize R&D lab and R&D plant areas including cleaning equipment, inventory and stocking of supplies, ingredients and finished products
• Participate and support QA team in yearly SQF certification including internal audits and paperwork compliance
• Provide necessary technical support to vendors, customers and operations when problems occur with products

Agility and Innovation

• Set up and operate new lab capabilities when needed
• Conduct innovation work sessions and develop new products in benchtop lab
• Facilitate lab, pilot plant or plant test runs
• When appropriate, supervises technicians, plant personnel and/o interns in the execution of experiments, plant test runs and product commissioning

Relationships and People

• To be successful in this role it is required to find common ground amongst many company departments: innovation, manufacturing, marketing, quality, regulatory, procurement and others
• Independently carry out assignments and review data for accuracy and trends and communicate any concerns
• Effectively interact with cross-function project teams internal and external through written and oral communications and maintain current understanding of overall project status
• Collaborate with colleagues to make significant individual contribution to deliver goals and execute project plans

What You Will Bring

EDUCATION:

• BS/MS Food Microbiology, Food Science, Animal Science, or equivalent technical qualifications required

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Min 5 years of experience in fresh food industry processes is required
• Technical knowledge in meat and poultry science, food microbiology, dairy, meat processes or pet food product development are required
• General laboratory experience is required
• Prior R&D project management experience is required
• Knowledge of Animal Nutrition is desirable

SKILLS AND PROFICIENCIES:

• Ability to formulate, use standard lab equipment and design experimental procedures.
• Ability to perform standardized and routine assignments involving a sequence of related operations with no supervision.
• Computer skills with proficiency to construct moderately complex graphs and charts, record formulas, design presentations and evaluate statistical analysis modules.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills, attention to detail, and capacity to multitask efficiently
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work in a team and adapt to dynamic work environment
• Ability to interact effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization and with external collaborators.
• Responds well to changing priorities and quick turnaround projects
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Strong experimental design skills
• Ability to travel up to 40% at times for various training programs, test runs, co-packers or suppliers

What We Offer

At Freshpet, we offer a competitive salary and an excellent benefits package, including medical, dental and vision insurance, basic and optional life insurance, short- and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts, and a 401(k) plan with company match, paid parental leave, pet insurance, tuition assistance, a generous PTO plan and so much more!

Our Commitment to a Diverse Workforce:

At Freshpet, we embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, sex, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique.

Freshpet aims to foster, cultivate and preserve a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our employees are our most valuable assets. The collective sum of the individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities and talent that our employees invest in their work represents a significant part of not only our culture, but our reputation and company’s achievement as well. Freshpet is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Disclaimers

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas.

Freshpet is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. Please, no phone calls or emails. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Freshpet via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of Freshpet. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Freshpet as a result of the referral or through other means.