Research Associate II, Food Discovery

It's a Perfect Day to change the world! At Perfect Day, we're doing just that.
Perfect Day was founded in 2014 to create delicious, nutritious dairy products that everyone can love. We’re using fermentation (not animals) to make dairy proteins that are the foundation for foods like ice cream, cheese and yogurt – all with the distinctive taste and textures that consumers demand, but without lactose or environmental downsides. Through partnerships with respected brands, we’re working to launch a whole range of dairy products that will help shape a humane, sustainable food system for future generations. 
Perfect Day is continuing to commercialize animal-free dairy protein ingredients and we are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Research Associate to join our team. The food team is a fast-paced and multi-disciplinary group and we love to collaborate and solve puzzles! As the newest member of the Food Discovery group in our Food Innovations team, you will characterize and develop new protein ingredients and highlight the functionality of animal-free proteins in a variety of food model systems. We need intelligent, proactive members to complement our diverse team and help us build upon our profile of food analytical methods. The ideal candidate has experience characterizing food products or knowledge of how proteins function in complex food systems.

YOUR CONTRIBUTION

• Characterize food proteins, food ingredients, and model food formulations. Benchmark & develop functional ingredient blends using those characterized food ingredients from concept through commercialization.
• Develop and conduct physiochemical and functional analysis such as moisture content, pH, conductivity, bulk density, heat stability, foaming capacity, emulsion stability, water/oil binding capacity, and gelation properties.
• Apply knowledge of proteins, food ingredients, food products & manufacturing processes to design, plan, and execute experiments to demonstrate the functionality of non-animal dairy proteins in the above dairy & food product applications.
• Work with other members of the Food team to design and conduct studies; provide guidance on best uses for functionality to product development and commercial teams.
• Develop and validate analytical methods to improve data resolution and/or sample throughput
• Get trained to perform sensory assessments, ingredient shelf-life validation, write ingredient specifications, develop product application material.
• Coordinating activities to bring projects to completion, while working in a collegial team environment and proactively keeping everyone on the same page.
• Support additional projects, research strategies, and experiments throughout R&D as required.
• Complete experimental documentation and data analysis in an organized, accurate, and timely manner in an electronic lab notebook.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS REQUIRED:

• B.S. degree in Food Science/Technology, Food Process Engineering, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Chemical Engineering, or related field with 1-3 years experience in the food industry.
• Preliminary Understanding of food ingredients, nutrition, food analytical tools, food microbiology, unit operations in food processing, food product formulation, and the composition, properties, formulation, and manufacture of dairy and food products.
• Hands-on experience in laboratories settings with analytical instruments; experience with particle size analyzer, rheometer, texture analyzer, plate reader, or light scattering a plus.
• Self-starter with good organizational skills; able to work effectively in cross-functional teams, provide strong analytic and process design skills, root cause analysis, training, and general communication.
• Maintain a high degree of accuracy and meticulous attention to detail.
• Capable of high performance in independent work and in a team setting.
• Ability to step up and do any activities as assigned including but not limited to – lab supply management, ingredient weighing, batching, recipe development, food processing, storage, shelf life, material characterization, shipping & utensils cleaning as needed.
• Experience with electronic lab notebooks or statistical analysis software is a plus (e.g., JMP, SAS, R, SciNote).

Physical Requirements and Additional Needs:

• Ability to stand or sit for prolonged periods, climb, kneel, bend, and at times lift objects as heavy as 50 lbs.
• Position located in a mix of typical laboratory, workshop, and kitchen environments, and requires a tolerance for high worker traffic, close quarters, noise, odors, dust, transiently wet and dirty floors, and varying room temperatures and lighting.
• Willing to travel up to 5%- 10% (need to need basis)

It's a Perfect Day to change the world. The day when delicious dairy goodness is something everyone can love. The day we say goodbye to the downsides of factory farming. The day we throw a big party with luscious, animal-free milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, all made with Perfect Day! We hope you join us!