Senior Principal Scientist Q&FS Food Safety - Thermal Processing at Mars, Incorporated in FRANKLIN, Tennessee

Job Description:

Job Description:

Senior Principal Scientist Q&FS Food Safety - Thermal Processing

The Senior Principal Scientist Q&FS Food Safety role is an exciting open role in our Mars Pet Organization. This role supports the Innovation, Supply, and External Manufacturing teams from product concept development to launch, leading thermal process development projects for all packaging formats within the wet, dry, care & treats product portfolio.

This role will be key in developing and testing equipment, validation activities for kill steps, identifying sterilization opportunities, scaling up cooking processes, and ensuring compliance with kill step requirements for product validation.

Through effective collaboration with Innovation, Quality Control/Assurance, Engineering, and Global Thermal Process specialists this role will evaluate new technologies and design effective kill steps, integrating these protocols into HACCP plans to ensure product safety and quality.

What are we looking for?

• Masters in Food Science, Microbiology, Engineering, or other related field. (PhD preferred)


• Minimum 10 years in thermal processing in the food or pet food industry. Pet food manufacturing experience preferred.


• Quality Assurance experience in a multinational food company.


• Minimum 3 years in people/team lead role.


• Advanced understanding of retort systems, particularly steam and steam-air, water spray and cascading retorts, and hydrostatic cookers.


• Experience with microbiology validation protocols, including the development and execution of validation studies


• Full knowledge of quality system--ISO 9000/ FSSC22000, and quality program HACCP/GMP/Hygienic design.


• Knowledge of US FDA and USDA regulations for thermally processed low-acid nd acidified foods.


• Strong engineering fundamentals and familiarity with experimental design and statistical data analysis.


• Ability to travel as needed.

What will be your key responsibilities?

• Collaborate with product and process developers to ensure new wet, dry, and care/treat products meet performance standards (safety, palatability, appearance) and comply with regulations.


• Key decision maker regarding product safety to protect the business, customers, and consumers.


• Serve as the US corporate Thermal Process Authority, maintaining relationships with regulatory bodies (FDA, USDA, State of California) and ensuring compliance with scheduled processes and filings.


• Provide technical leadership in developing and applying technologies for microbial inactivation.


• Develop and design validation studies for thermal processes, dryer validations, sanitation validations, and validation of controls for Salmonella.


• Lead the design and implementation of microbiology validation protocols to ensure the safety and efficacy of processes, including conducting in-plant experiments and analyzing data for microbial inactivation.


• Establish thermal processes for new and existing products, ensuring improvements and modifications support safety and efficiency.


• Develop test plans for heat and temperature distribution, execute tests, and analyze data to quantify thermal processing parameters.


• Identify and develop opportunities to enhance thermal processes through traditional and novel technologies.


• Tracking/guidance of long term thermal process development activities through coordination with Engineering and R&D teams.


• Manage minor capital projects related to thermal processing and advise on major capital projects (e.g., sterilization systems).


• Develop pilot plant capabilities to estimate factory cook times, ensuring product safety and package integrity.


• Collaborate with R&D teams to explore cook profile interactions and product performance.


• Contribute to and involvement with Mars global and regional Thermal Process activities including training, equipment testing, process establishment and incident resolution.


• Train R&D associates on thermal processing principles and relationship to food safety and product quality.


• Provide technical leadership skills to co-manufacturers in validation activities related to thermal processes.


• Mentor and coach Thermal Process Technologists at all US Wet, Dry, and Care/Treat sites.


• Provide strategic engineering insights into process engineering and development, staying informed about current and planned manufacturing processes.


• Support HACCP study development and regulatory audit preparations.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 140,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.


• Join a purpose driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.


• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.


• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

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Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.