Lead Food Technologist - Newport News

Job Description

We are seeking a highly skilled Lead Food Technologist to drive the development of innovative, high‑quality finished food products that showcase new flavors and technologies. This role blends hands‑on formulation, trend‑driven concept creation, sensory analysis, and cross‑functional collaboration. The ideal candidate brings deep technical expertise, creativity, and leadership within the food development space.

Responsibilities

Create finished food products and transferable food technologies aligned with market trends and customer needs.Develop new food formulations, including specifications, documentation, and processing instructions for scale‑up.Generate innovative flavor, ingredient, and concept ideas for food launches across categories.Lead the creation of food prototypes that demonstrate new flavors, ingredients, and technologies.Partner with sales, marketing, culinary, and foodservice teams to support customer projects and brand initiatives.Translate consumer insights and sensory data into actionable food product concepts.Analyze and verify lab, technical, and sensory data to guide formulation decisions.Prepare and maintain food product specifications, documentation, and sample submissions.Support scale‑up and commercialization of food products with operations and manufacturing teams.

Essential Qualifications

8–10+ years of experience in the food and beverage industry, with a strong focus on food development.Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biochemistry, or related field.Strong skills in food manufacturing, laboratory testing, and product development.Proficiency in Biology and Chemistry.Experience developing finished food products and managing formulation projects.

Additional Skills

Leadership experience in a food or beverage environment.Expertise in flavor innovation and ingredient functionality.Experience collaborating with sales, marketing, and technology teams.Strong understanding of food safety, regulatory requirements, and documentation.

Work Environment

The role is set in a lab environment where you will work in a small, intimate team, mixing flavors and developing products. Employees gain exposure to the entire lifecycle of a flavor, collaborating directly with customers to create the perfect product. This position offers a unique opportunity to work in a family-owned company.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Newport News, VA.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $28.80 - $48.07/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)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Newport News,VA.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Mar 3, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 30,000 consultants and more than 4,500 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.