Associate Food Scientist, Sweet Treats

Associate Food Scientist, Sweet Treats at Conagra Brands

Reporting to the R&D Manager, this role will give you the opportunity to bring bold ideas to life as part of Conagra’s Center for Food Design (CFD) in downtown Chicago. You will be immersed in a vibrant, open-office culture surrounded by cutting-edge culinary kitchens, pilot plant capabilities, and specialized labs for baking, salty, and meat snacks. As an Associate Food Scientist for Sweet Treats, you will help shape the future of our portfolio through innovative product development, flavor exploration, and cross-functional collaboration. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow your career in food science while making a real impact on the snacks people love.

Your Impact

• Create new sweet treat products from concept through commercialization, with a focus on seasoning application and flavor innovation.
• Design and execute plant trials and product start-ups, ensuring smooth transitions from lab to production.
• Present your work to senior leadership through engaging product cuttings and tastings.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including packaging, processing, labeling, brand, finance, procurement, and legal to bring new products to market.
• Conduct experiments, analyze results, and maintain accurate documentation using our online specification and recipe/formula tools.
• Work hands-on with bench and pilot plant equipment to test and refine product concepts.
• Support business continuity and cost savings initiatives through thoughtful product design.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe workspace, including equipment and surface sanitation.
• Travel up to 30% to manufacturing facilities, where you’ll gain exposure to production environments and processes.

Your Experience

• BS in Food Science or a related field required.
• 1+ years of relevant work or internship experience preferred.
• Knowledge of ingredient functionality.
• Experience in food product design, formulation, process design, product scale-up, plant testing, and commercialization.
• A proactive, self-starting mindset with strong problem-solving skills.
• Skilled at managing multiple projects and tasks with efficiency and focus.
• Comfortable working in manufacturing environments with varying conditions (noise, heat, cold, wet surfaces).
• Open to food tasting and exposure to all food allergens.

Work Arrangement

You will be onsite 4 days a week.

Relocation is available for this position. Preference given to local candidates, if applicable.

Compensation & Benefits

Pay Range: $59,000-$78,000

The annual salary listed above is the expected offering for this position. An employee’s actual annual salary will be based on but not limited to: location, relevant experience/level and skillset, while balancing internal Conagra employees’ equity. Conagra Brands will comply with applicable law regarding minimum salaries for exempt employees.

We care about your total well-being and will support you with the following, subject to your location and role:

• Health: Comprehensive healthcare plans, wellness incentive program, mental wellbeing support and fitness reimbursement.
• Wealth: Great pay, bonus incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock purchase plan.
• Growth: Career development opportunities, employee resource groups, on-demand learning and tuition reimbursement.
• Balance: Paid-time off, parental leave, flexible work-schedules (subject to your location and role) and volunteer opportunities.

About Conagra Brands

At Conagra Brands, we have a rich heritage of making great food. We aspire to have the most impactful, energized and inclusive culture in food. As a member of our 18,000+ person team across 40+ locations, you are empowered to reach your potential, make an impact and own your career. We're in the business of building champions – within our people and our iconic brands like Birds Eye®, Slim Jim® and Reddi-Wip®.

Our focus on innovation extends beyond making great food, it also reflects our commitment to embracing new solutions that positively impact our team, the communities we serve and the health of our planet. Foodies Welcome.

Conagra Brands is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law. Reasonable accommodation may be made upon request.

Key skills/competency

• Food Science
• Product Development
• Flavor Innovation
• Formulation
• Pilot Plant Operations
• Commercialization
• Ingredient Functionality
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Process Design
• Project Management