Fresh Food Manufacturing Formulations Specialist

Job Summary:

We are seeking a highly skilled and detail-oriented Recipes, Formulation at Scale, and Nutritional Values Specialist to join our team. This role is crucial in ensuring the accurate development, scaling, and nutritional analysis of our fresh food products across multiple manufacturing units. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in food science, culinary arts, and manufacturing processes, with a keen understanding of nutritional labeling regulations.

This role is located in Austin, TX with an expectation of being in the Store Support Office 5 days per week.

Responsibilities:

• Recipe Development & Optimization:

  • Develop and refine recipes for new and existing food products, ensuring consistency in flavor, texture, and quality across multiple manufacturing units.

  • Conduct thorough testing and analysis of recipes, documenting all procedures and findings.

  • Optimize recipes for large-scale production, considering equipment capabilities and process efficiencies.

• Formulation at Scale:

  • Translate small-batch recipes into large-scale production formulas, ensuring accurate ingredient scaling and process adjustments.

  • Collaborate with manufacturing teams to implement and troubleshoot scaled-up formulations.

  • Develop and maintain standardized operating procedures (SOPs) for all formulation processes.

• Nutritional Analysis & Labeling:

  • Conduct accurate RACC nutritional analysis of food products using approved software and laboratory methods.

  • Ensure compliance with all relevant nutritional labeling regulations (e.g., FDA, USDA).

  • Generate and maintain accurate nutritional information for product labels and marketing materials.

  • Stay up to date on changes in nutritional labeling regulations and best practices.

• Quality Control:

  • Collaborate with quality control teams to ensure product consistency and adherence to specification standards.

  • Conduct sensory evaluations and shelf-life testing.

  • Maintain accurate records of all formulations, nutritional data, and quality control findings.

• Collaboration & Communication:

  • Work closely with culinary, manufacturing, quality control, and marketing teams to ensure seamless product development and launch.

  • Provide technical expertise and training to manufacturing personnel.

  • Communicate effectively with suppliers and external laboratories.

Ability to travel often; travel time up to 35/50%

Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Tech,  Culinary Arts, Nutrition, or a related field. Master’s degree preferred.

• Experience:

  • Minimum of 5 years of experience in recipe development, formulation at scale, and nutritional analysis in a food manufacturing environment.

  • Proven experience in scaling up recipes for large-scale production.

  • Strong understanding of food chemistry, microbiology, and processing.

  • Experience with nutritional analysis software and laboratory methods.

  • Familiarity with FDA and USDA nutritional labeling regulations.

• Skills:

  • Excellent culinary skills and a strong understanding of flavor profiles.

  • Proficiency in recipe development and formulation software.

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team. 

  • Strong organizational and time-management skills.

  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite.

  • Experience with nutritional analysis software ie Genesys

At Whole Foods Market, we provide a fair and equal employment opportunity for all Team Members and candidates regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, marital status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic. Whole Foods Market hires and promotes individuals solely based on qualifications for the position to be filled and business needs. Whole Foods Market works with job sites like Indeed, LinkedIn, and ZipRecruiter to promote opportunities at our company. Please be aware that other career sites may not be accurate or up to date and may even be fraudulent. We encourage and recommend all candidates to apply via our site.