Sterling Engineering, Inc. is hiring: R&D Food Scientist (Bilingual) in Chicago

Location: Chicago, ILHire Type: Direct Hire

Shift: 1st Shift | Monday-Friday

Compensation: $26.00/hour

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), PTOLanguage Requirement: Must be bilingual in English and Spanish Must Have Experience: Research & Development within a food manufacturing environment

Job Summary: Seeking a Bilingual Quality R D Technician to support new product development, quality initiatives, and documentation management within a food manufacturing environment. This cross-functional role collaborates with Production, Quality, Operations, and suppliers to help launch new products while ensuring compliance with food safety and quality standards. Ideal candidates are organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable working in both lab and manufacturing settings.

Job Duties: Assist in new product development projects, supporting items such as snack products, flatbreads, and customer-branded formulations from concept through commercialization Perform bench-top, lab, and pilot plant trials, making formulation adjustments to achieve targeted taste, texture, nutrition, shelf life, and cost objectives Maintain and update technical documentation, including formulations, testing data, SOPs, product specifications, and change documentation Partner with Production, Quality Assurance, Packaging, and Operations teams to ensure successful product scale-up and manufacturability Support food safety, regulatory, and labeling compliance in accordance with company standards and customer requirements Conduct sensory testing, shelf-life analysis, and competitive product evaluations to support product improvements and development initiatives Communicate with ingredient and packaging suppliers regarding specifications, quality concerns, and corrective actions when needed Assist with supplier quality investigations, documentation reviews, and follow-up communication Provide bilingual communication support with vendors and suppliers in both English and Spanish Contribute to supplier qualification efforts, ingredient sourcing, and continuous improvement projects Qualifications:1-3 years of experience in food product development, R D, or a similar role within a food manufacturing environment Bachelor's degree preferred in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Nutrition, or a related discipline Bilingual in English and Spanish (written and verbal)Strong documentation, organization, and attention-to-detail skills Ability to communicate professionally with cross-functional teams and external suppliers Comfortable working in a hands-on, fast-paced manufacturing and R D environment Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.