Food Scientist

Title: Food Scientist

Location: Pasadena, TX

Who we are:

Voted one of the Nation's Best and Brightest Companies to Work for, Kuraray America, Inc. (KAI) is a global leader in specialty chemical, fiber, and resin production. With top-of-the-line research and production facilities and a vast network of supplies from around the world, Kuraray leads the industry in specialty dental, fiber, resin, and elastomer products. Kuraray America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuraray Company, Ltd. Based in Tokyo, Japan. Kuraray has operations in 32 countries and employs more than 11,000 employees, including over 800 in the United States.

Why Kuraray:

Kuraray is building a better tomorrow, today. Our team members are dedicated to expanding our business with committed professionals who share essential values such as integrity, excellence, teamwork, and accountability.

As a part of Kuraray America, Inc., our team shares the advantages of working for the leader in specialty chemicals, resins, and fibers. Our international presence and resources allow us to be a world-leading innovator in the industries we service. Yet, despite our size, our people are more than just a number. As a new team member, you can expect to earn responsibility quickly. Our commitment to our people is visible in our comprehensive benefits package. As a Kuraray team member, you will have the opportunity to enjoy competitive salaries and benefits, incentive opportunities, and an excellent work environment.

Position Summary:

We are seeking a Food Scientist to drive the growth of EVAL and PLANTIC across the Americas within our Technical Service & Development (TS&D) organization. This hybrid role integrates food science, packaging, and market development expertise. The Food Scientist will engage with brand owners to showcase the sustainable advantages of EVAL and PLANTIC, guiding them through the evaluation process to commercialization in innovative food packaging or other industrial applications. Success in this role requires a strong foundation in materials and polymer processing, flexible packaging structure development, food stability testing, and the ability to assess packaging performance-particularly in meeting or exceeding brand expectations for recyclable solutions compared to traditional, non-recyclable high-performance laminates. The primary objective is to identify new market opportunities, support product launches, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to advance innovation, sustainability, and growth, with a strong emphasis on food packaging.

Responsibilities:

Food Science & Innovation

• Design food stability experiments using EVAL and PLANTIC packaging technologies to demonstrate benefits compared to traditional packaging
• Apply food science expertise to evaluate product aging and redesign packaging to optimize shelf-life performance and/or quality preservation.
• Report results of the food stability tests as tools for market development when facing customers or brand owners.
• Generate application data, technical reports, and training materials for customers and internal stakeholders

Market & Business Development

• Research global market trends, consumer demands, benchmark studies, recycling standards, and sustainability drivers.
• Support new product introductions with market analysis and application demonstrations in the form of customer presentations.
• Identify new market opportunities for EVAL and PLANTIC in food and pharma packaging as well as in industrial applications. The focus of this role is food packaging.
• Work closely with TS&D to develop a solution, with Sales to close opportunities, and with Marketing Communication teams to publish successes.
• Collaborate with the value chain (brand owners, converters, processors, machine and resins suppliers, as well as food manufacturers) to develop case studies demonstrating the value proposition of EVAL and PLANTIC.
• Train engineers and technical service personnel on proper testing methodologies, data interpretation, and application best practices

Technical and Environmental Support

• Grow awareness of EVAL and Plantic products by representing the company in industry associations, positioning them as strong solutions towards the circular economy.
• Collaborate with the marketing communications team to create appropriate publications, targeted advertising, and other promotional tactics to position EVAL as the barrier leader in all segments.
• Coordinate the approvals of such public communications locally with the KAI EVAL leadership team and globally with the corresponding counterparts in Kuraray Japan.
• Conduct extrusion trials on pilot scale equipment to process EVOH in the form of film or cast samples
• Execute manual or coordinate automatic form, seal, and fill packaging to test the performance of the elucidated prototypes.
• Interpretation of results regarding oxygen and moisture barrier, mechanical properties, and sealing curves.
• Generate application data, technical reports, and training materials for customers and internal stakeholders.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Travel (20%) to customer and brand owner sites, conferences, and international meetings in North and South America.
• Present technical findings, trial outcomes, and market insights to internal and external stakeholders.
• Lead projects through influence, collaborating with cross-functional multicultural teams including R&D, Sales, Marketing, and technical Teams to drive commercialization.
• Contribute to product innovation, circular economy, and sustainability initiatives.
• Use data analysis tools to evaluate product performance, market impact, and customer or brand owner ROI.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, or Food Technology required. Degrees in Chemical Engineering, Polymer Science, Plastics Engineering, Materials Science, or Mechanical Engineering will be considered with relevant food packaging experience
• Minimum of 3 years experience in food science or food applications sectors
• Knowledge of plastic materials, converting processes (extrusion, lamination, printing), and food science.
• Experience with brand owners, converters, technical sales and/or technical marketing roles.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and project management skills.
• Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving, and customer-facing abilities.
• Innovative mindset with adaptability to diverse working environments
• Capable to handle multiple projects and responsibilities simultaneously.
• Candidates must have a valid driver's license.

Competencies :

• Customer Focus
  • Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Business Insight
  • Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals.
• Cultivates Innovation
  • Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.

• Action Oriented
  • Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Ensures Accountability
  • Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments.
• Drives Results
  • Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstance
• Collaborates
  • Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Values Difference
  • Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization
• Communicates Effectively
  • Developing and delivering multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.
• Courage
  • Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said.
• Instills Trust
  • Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Situational Adaptability
  • Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations.

We offer a competitive compensation package that includes base pay and an annual incentive. This program is designed to reward individual performance and align overall rewards with corporate and team performance.

Our employees benefit from a robust healthcare package that includes wellness reimbursements, along with generous perks such as three weeks of paid time off, ten company holidays, paid parental leave, education reimbursement, and a matching 401k plan, among other offerings.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S.

Learn more at

Kuraray America, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity/disability/protected veteran status

No third-party candidates accepted.