R&D Meat Scientist
MRINetwork
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Indiana, United States · Posted November 5, 2026
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About the job
R&D Meat Scientist:
Our food production client, headquartered in Indiana, is looking for a motivated, hands-on R&D Meat Scientist to lead applied research and product development. This position translates technical and culinary concepts into scalable, commercially viable products, leads plant trials, and partners across Operations, Engineering, QA, Sales and Marketing, and Regulatory to bring products from concept through commercialization while meeting quality, food-safety, and regulatory standards.
This is an onsite position . The duty station can be positioned in Indiana, Michigan or Kentucky.
Responsibilities:
Design and execute applied R&D projects focused on product quality, yield improvement, shelf-life extension, and process optimization
Develop and optimize formulations, processes, and product specifications to meet customer, quality, regulatory, and operational requirements
Lead plant trials and scale-up, troubleshooting processing issues such as bind, emulsion, purge, texture variability, yield, and cook loss
Own precise documentation of formulas, specifications, protocols, and process parameters, and prepare clear technical reports
Partner with Operations, Engineering, QA, Sales and Marketing, and Regulatory to translate business and customer needs into technical solutions
Monitor industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitive products to identify opportunities
Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in Meat Science, Food Science, Animal Science, or related discipline; Master's or PhD preferred
5+ years of hands-on experience in meat / food product development
Strong understanding of meat functionality (protein bind, blending, water activity, cook loss, emulsions) and processing systems
Experience in USDA-regulated facilities; working knowledge of USDA-FSIS regulations, HACCP, food-safety management systems, and USDA labeling requirements and standards of identity
Proven ability to translate scientific results into practical, commercial solutions, with strong documentation and communication skills
Experience in pork processing preferred but not required
Additional valued experience (not required): cured, smoked, and further-processed product expertise; sensory evaluation and shelf-life validation; statistical analysis, design of experiments (DOE), and data-driven decision making; and clean-label / ingredient-reduction formulation
For more information, please submit a confidential resume to melva@mriz.net
Melva Lowry
1531 West Oak St.
Zionsville, IN 46077
Visit our website at www.mriz.net
Due to the high volume of resumes received, only applicants with SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE requested by our clients will be contacted. All replies are held in strict confidence. MRI Zionsville WILL NOT share your personally identifiable information WITHOUT your permission.