R&D Technician | Foods

Title: R&D Technician (Bi-Lingual English & Spanish)
Location: Chicago, IL
Hire Type: Direct Hire
Shift: 1st Shift | Monday–Friday
Compensation: $20–$26/hour
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), PTO

Required: Prior experience in Research & Development within a food manufacturing environment
Language Requirement: Must be bilingual in English and Spanish

Overview

A growing food manufacturing organization is seeking a Bilingual Quality R&D Technician to assist with product development, documentation management, and quality-focused initiatives. This role works cross-functionally with Production, Quality, Operations, and external suppliers to support the development and launch of new products while ensuring compliance with food safety and quality standards.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in both a laboratory and manufacturing setting while communicating effectively with internal teams and vendors.

Key Responsibilities

Assist in new product development projects, supporting items such as snack products, flatbreads, and customer-branded formulations from concept through commercialization

Perform bench-top, lab, and pilot plant trials, making formulation adjustments to achieve targeted taste, texture, nutrition, shelf life, and cost objectives

Maintain and update technical documentation, including formulations, testing data, SOPs, product specifications, and change documentation

Partner with Production, Quality Assurance, Packaging, and Operations teams to ensure successful product scale-up and manufacturability

Support food safety, regulatory, and labeling compliance in accordance with company standards and customer requirements

Conduct sensory testing, shelf-life analysis, and competitive product evaluations to support product improvements and development initiatives

Communicate with ingredient and packaging suppliers regarding specifications, quality concerns, and corrective actions when needed

Assist with supplier quality investigations, documentation reviews, and follow-up communication

Provide bilingual communication support with vendors and suppliers in both English and Spanish

Contribute to supplier qualification efforts, ingredient sourcing, and continuous improvement projects

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of experience in food product development, R&D, or a similar role within a food manufacturing environment
• Bachelor’s degree preferred in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Nutrition, or a related discipline
• Bilingual in English and Spanish (written and verbal)
• Strong documentation, organization, and attention-to-detail skills
• Ability to communicate professionally with cross-functional teams and external suppliers
• Comfortable working in a hands-on, fast-paced manufacturing and R&D environment

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.