R D Engineering Jobs in Minnesota

Formulation & R&D Technician – Nutraceutical & Powdered Beverages

About the Company

EnviroStar Ingredients is a growing Minnesota-based manufacturer with more than 10 years of experience in powder processing and specialty manufacturing. We produce stick-packed nutritional and functional beverage products, including electrolytes, hydration mixes, vitamins, supplements, and proteins. Our small, hands-on team offers employees the opportunity to learn, take ownership of their work, and contribute directly to the company’s growth.

About the Position

We are seeking a detail-oriented Formulation & R&D Technician to assist with the development of powdered nutraceuticals, dietary supplements, hydration products, and instant beverages.

This is a hands-on product development position. You will prepare small-scale formulations, accurately weigh ingredients, make controlled adjustments to flavors and sweeteners, evaluate finished samples, and document results (per customer feedback).

You do not need to be an experienced food scientist. We are looking for someone who is technically minded, extremely accurate, organized, comfortable with numbers, and interested in learning product formulation.

A major part of this position involves taking an initial formulation and improving its taste, sweetness, acidity, flavor intensity, mouthfeel, appearance, and solubility through systematic testing.

Responsibilities

• Accurately weigh and measure powdered and liquid ingredients using laboratory balances.
• Prepare bench-scale batches of powdered beverages and nutraceutical products.
• Respond to and follow up with customers on a timely basis
• Follow formulas precisely and maintain accurate records of every formulation.
• Conduct controlled formulation trials by changing one or more variables and documenting the results.
• Adjust flavors, sweeteners, acids, masking agents, colors, and other ingredients to improve palatability.
• Evaluate products for sweetness, bitterness, acidity, aftertaste, aroma, mouthfeel, appearance, dispersibility, and solubility.
• Work with ingredients such as electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, botanical extracts, flavors, sweeteners, acids, and other functional ingredients.
• Calculate ingredient percentages, serving-size quantities, concentrations, and batch weights.
• Prepare samples for internal evaluation and customer review.
• Reproduce approved formulations accurately and consistently.
• Assist in transitioning successful laboratory formulations to larger production batches.
• Maintain organized formulation records, samples, ingredients, and R&D work areas.
• Follow GMP, sanitation, food-safety, and company procedures.

What We're Looking For

Attention to detail is the most important qualification for this position.

The successful candidate should be comfortable performing repetitive, precision-oriented work where small differences in ingredient quantities can significantly affect the finished product.

You should be comfortable with basic mathematics, percentages, decimals, spreadsheets, and measurements in grams and milligrams.

We're also looking for someone who enjoys experimenting and problem-solving. For example, you may be given a beverage that is too bitter or has an unpleasant aftertaste and asked to systematically test different flavors and sweetener combinations until the product is significantly improved.

Qualifications

High school diploma is required; however, an advanced degree is not required but is preferred.

Experience or education in food science, chemistry, biology, laboratory work, dietary supplements, food manufacturing, beverage production, quality control, compounding, or a related technical field is helpful.

Experience with powdered beverages, nutraceuticals, flavors, sweeteners, dietary supplements, or product development is a plus, but we are willing to train the right candidate.

Ideal Candidate

This position may be a particularly good fit for someone who has worked as a:

• Laboratory technician
• Food or beverage R&D technician
• Quality-control technician
• Dietary supplement manufacturing technician
• Food-production technician
• Pharmacy or compounding technician
• Chemistry or biology laboratory technician

Compensation and Benefits

· $28-$34/hour, depending on experience.

(Candidates with direct experience in powdered beverage formulation, flavor development, nutraceutical formulation, or food-product R&D may qualify toward the upper end of the range).

· Health Care contribution of $300/month

· 14 days paid personal time off/year

· Paid major holidays

This a Full-time Monday–Friday Flexible start time position (4–10-hour shifts are an option)

Pay: $58,240.00 - $70,720.00 per year

Benefits:

• Paid time off

Work Location: In person