Overview

Position Summary and Purpose: The Principal Applications Technologist provides technical leadership for the Applications function across food, beverage, confectionery, and nutraceutical categories. This hands-on role combines advanced application development, customer engagement, and laboratory leadership to develop innovative prototype formulations and provide technical solutions that address customer needs and formulation challenges.Reporting to the Director of Research & Development, the Principal Applications Technologist serves as the organization's senior applications expert, leading the North Carolina Applications Laboratory while working directly with customers through onsite visits, innovation sessions, technical presentations, and collaborative product development. The role is responsible for building and developing the North Carolina Applications team, maintaining laboratory operations, and driving technical excellence in support of company growth and customer success.Essential Functions:Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Develop and optimize prototype formulations for food, beverage, confectionery, nutraceutical, and functional food applications utilizing company flavor systems.Serve as the senior technical applications resource by providing formulation expertise, troubleshooting, and innovative solutions to customers through onsite visits, technical presentations, innovation sessions, and collaborative product development.Lead complex application development projects from concept through commercialization, including bench-top development, sensory evaluation, stability assessments, and manufacturing support.Manage the daily operations of the North Carolina Applications Laboratory, including laboratory equipment, ingredient inventory, technical documentation, and compliance with safety and quality standards.Recruit, hire, train, supervise, and develop North Carolina Applications Laboratory personnel, including Food Technologists and Laboratory Technicians, while fostering a collaborative, customer-focused culture.Develop, maintain, and continuously improve application platforms, prototype formulas, ingredient libraries, laboratory procedures, and technical best practices.Collaborate with Sales, Flavor Creation, Regulatory, Quality, Operations, and other cross-functional teams to support customer projects, commercialization efforts, and strategic technical initiatives.Identify and evaluate emerging ingredients, processing technologies, and market trends to drive application innovation and enhance customer solutions.Provide technical mentorship and guidance across the Applications function while supporting the R&D Director in achieving departmental objectives and advancing technical capabilities.Travel as required to support customer visits, innovation workshops, manufacturing trials, and collaboration with internal teams.Perform other duties as assigned. Desired Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:Advanced knowledge of food science, flavor applications, ingredient functionality, and product development.Extensive experience developing prototype formulations across beverage, confectionery, nutraceutical, functional food, and other food categories.Strong understanding of ingredient interactions, processing technologies, shelf-life considerations, and sensory evaluation.Excellent customer-facing communication, presentation, and relationship-building skills.Demonstrated ability to solve complex technical challenges and develop practical formulation solutions.Experience leading laboratory operations and supervising technical staff.Strong project management, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams across multiple locations.Proficiency with Microsoft Office and standard laboratory equipment and practices.Physical