Role: As an Associate Principal Scientist on the North American Coffee Partnership (NACP), you will have the unique opportunity to be a member of the partnership between two market leaders to develop & commercialize Ready-to-Drink coffee innovation. Utilizing your passion, creativity, and technical skills, you will be looked upon to lead and contribute to our continued efforts to grow and expand the RTD Coffee platform in North America.

• Lead the product development process from ideation to launch, including development of benchtop prototypes, implementation and maintenance of stability testing, exploring results in consumer research, and translating product development efforts from concept to scale up and commercialization.
• Provide product formulation and dairy based ingredients expertise to assist team in developing RTD beverages that are safe, stable, legal, and meet consumer needs.
• Lead and assess technical feasibility and product development activities across multiple thermal process platforms i.e. low acid retort, low and high acid aseptic, low acid ESL, and tunnel pasteurization.
• Balance multiple projects and provide technical guidance (focused on dairy applications) and bench development for existing & future RTD platforms.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships across technical and non-technical functions, including Starbucks partners, to lead and influence cross functional teams to align on and achieve project objectives.
• Conduct trouble shooting and root cause analysis for brand maintenance issues at bench and plant level.

Compensation and Benefits:

• The expected compensation range for this position is between $93,500 - $156,450.
• Location, confirmed job-related skills, experience, and education will be considered in setting actual starting salary. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.
• Bonus based on performance and eligibility target payout is 10% of annual salary paid out annually.
• Paid time off subject to eligibility, including paid parental leave, vacation, sick, and bereavement.
• In addition to salary, PepsiCo offers a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees and their families, subject to elections and eligibility: Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Health, and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life), Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

Critical Competencies:

• The successful candidate will be experienced in scientific research or consumer goods development, & demonstrate the following skills:
• Must have experience with fluid dairy (development, applications, &/or processing)
• Analytical thinking / Problem solving / Experimental design
• Presentation skills (verbal and written)
• Highly organized and self-motivated
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Drive for results
• Manage ambiguity

Education & Experience:

Required:

• Minimum B.S. in Food Science (or related field with at least partial focus on Dairy Science)
• 4-8 years in product development or associated R&D functions, or conducting scientific research
• Experience with fluid dairy, either through scientific research or food/beverage development, applications, &/or processing
• Demonstrated competency in understanding ingredient functionality, specifically fluid & processed dairy

Desired:

• Dairy Science (and knowledge of dairy chemistry) background preferred
• Previous technical experience in dairy-based research, beverage development, and/or dairy processing
• Previous RTD beverage product development & thermal process experience utilizing dairy ingredients
• Familiarity with dairy quality programs and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards

Our Company will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable laws, including but not limited to, San Francisco Police Code Sections 4901-4919, commonly referred to as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance; and Chapter XVII, Article 9 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, commonly referred to as the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status. PepsiCo is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Female / Minority / Disability / Protected Veteran / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity / Age If you'd like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please download the available EEO is the Law & EEO is the Law Supplement documents. View PepsiCo EEO Policy. Please view our Pay Transparency Statement.