Food Technologist

Job Title: Food Technologist

Job Description

Join our dynamic team as a Food Technologist, where you will play a crucial role in conducting and supporting physical and analytical evaluations of various products, ranging from proteins and legumes to dairy, RTE/RTD products, and more. You will be instrumental in performing cleaning validations for new restaurant equipment, assisting with vendor visits, and conducting sensory and stability testing. Your role will involve collaborating with cross-functional teams, suppliers, and laboratory partners to ensure product quality and documentation accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Conduct and support physical and analytical product evaluations across a range of food and non-food items.
• Perform cleaning validations and verifications for new restaurant equipment and smallwares.
• Assist with vendor visits and prepare samples for testing.
• Conduct sensory testing and stability testing on finished goods.
• Maintain regular communication with QA, Marketing, and Operations to support ongoing projects, timelines, trials, and testing.
• Collaborate with suppliers and laboratory partners to collect samples, review results, and ensure business and quality documentation is accurate and up to date.
• Support root cause analysis of food quality issues in partnership with suppliers, gathering technical data and contributing to corrective action planning.
• Participate in cross-functional project meetings to share updates on product status and R&D progress.
• Support test kitchen operations, including receiving and organizing sample shipments and maintaining cleanliness and organization.

Essential Skills

• Experience in food science.
• Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, Biochemistry, or Food Microbiology.
• Sensory training completed or willingness and ability to be trained.
• Understanding of food science principles, sensory analysis, and food preparation techniques.
• Ability to analyze data, apply critical thinking, and communicate clear, actionable findings.
• Proactive, self-starter mindset with the ability to manage priorities and ensure timely execution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficiency in Excel, Word, Outlook, and other tools used for data entry and reporting.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Master of Science in Food Science/Technology preferred.
• Experience managing new product development from concept to commercialization.
• Prior work in test kitchens, labs, or pilot facilities is a huge plus.
• Formulation experience with bakery and/or tortilla items.
• Microbiological experience with equipment and/or cleaning.
• Cross-functional project management skills.

Work Environment

You will work alongside a Sr. Analyst and 3-4 other R&D Technicians. Occasionally, you will collaborate with 4-5 cross-functional partners at our Newport location. This position offers a great opportunity for individuals new to the industry to gain valuable experience and add a reputable name to their resume.

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Irvine, CA.

The pay range for this position is $20.00 - $30.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Irvine,CA.

This position is anticipated to close on Mar 31, 2026.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:

• Hiring diverse talent
• Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
• Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
• Ensuring growth opportunities for our people

Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we’ve helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC—with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.

Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.