PD Scientist

Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves. Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation. Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.

About Us: 

Target is an iconic brand, a Fortune 50 company and one of America’s leading retailers. 

At Target, food is life. So, it’s the mission of our Food & Beverage organization to help our guests more easily discover the joy of food. We thrive on giving families new favorite ways to eat well and cook less, simply, and affordably. With curated in-store experiences and a streamlined assortment designed to inspire and save time, we understand the importance of food to our guests’ everyday life—from snack duty at soccer practice to important family gatherings and holidays. Join our centralized Food & Beverage team where you’ll partner with people from literally every area of the business. Here, you’ll help dream up new ways to offer our guests a reliably wonderful experience with the freshness, selection, and value they expect and deserve from Target. 

Join a dynamic team of inventive and passionate engineers, food scientists and sourcing managers in Food & Beverage Product Design & Sourcing at Target. We concept, develop, source, and deliver our owned brand foods and beverages; everything from dry goods, snacks and beverages, to candy, fresh, frozen and dairy. We research and engage with the food industry and the consumer marketplace to stay current on technical advances and get ahead of the trends. Join our dynamic and inventive team to influence the taste, quality and value that decisively positions Target above the competition. 

This team is passionate about the foods we develop to inspire and delight our Target guests. Utilize your passion for food and discovery to bring key trend insights to our product development team. Your ability to keep your finger on the pulse of all things trend & innovation and synthesize data into insights will influence our product strategy and development pipeline. Bring your design skills, curiosity, and storytelling expertise to our talented team of creative, culinary & scientific minds with visionary goals to lead the industry in best-in-class food product design and development. 

As a Food & Beverage Scientist, you will:  

• Understands their business’s strategic initiatives and proactively works to implement supporting technical solutions
• Partner with Insights Teams to understand guest needs and develop product to meet those requirements
• Leverages understanding of product/process/packaging interactions in conjunction with supply chain requirements to ensure robust product design that delivers consistent product performance
• Accountable for developing products that meet brand intent and quality
• Partner with appropriate Cross Functional Team (CFT) members and vendors to ensure the brand vision is appropriately understood and executed
• Diligent approach to workload, maintaining good, timely communication with suppliers, team members and CFTs
• Full understanding of product commercialization process and accountability for meeting deadlines
• Accountable for timely sample evaluations and ensuring approvals of all products meet Target’s standards
• Is a committed team player who can be counted on to do their part and be relied on to work cooperatively with others
• Leads special projects or captainships as assigned
• Provide and maintain effective product technical specifications
• Support the timely resolution of all issues pertaining to the development and manufacturing of products
• Partner with vendors to identify and address manufacturing and quality issues related to design
• Leads the Technical Functional Review
• Appropriately leverages their knowledge and expertise to suggest COG, , negotiations, sustainability and other ROI improvements to their director and the broader CFT

Core responsibilities of this job are described within this job description. Job duties may change at any time due to business needs. 

Requirements:

• B.S. in Food Science, Chemical Engineering or related discipline
• 4-8 years’ relevant experience
• Proficiency with food product development and formulation including cost drivers, ingredient interactions, and technical feasibility
• Exhibits a working knowledge of product manufacturing
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Strong problem solving, creative thinking, and strategic thinking skills
• Demonstrated business understanding and acumen
• Strong project management skills
• Ability to successfully work in a team environment

This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Target’s needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member’s core role will need to be performed both onsite at the Target HQ MN location the role is assigned to and virtually, depending upon what your role, team and tasks require for that day. Work duties cannot be performed outside of the country of the primary work location, unless otherwise prescribed by Target. Click here if you are curious to learn more about Minnesota.

Benefits Eligibility

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to [email protected]. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.