2027 Full Time: R&D Associate Food Scientist (UG)
About this role
SMILE AT WHAT’S NEXT
At PepsiCo, you'll find the opportunity to grow your career, make an impact, and help shape what's next. As one of the world's leading food and beverage companies, our beloved brands—including Gatorade, Lay's, and Quaker—help create smiles with every sip and bite. Behind our products is a connected system that starts with how we source and grow ingredients alongside farmers and extends to how we make, move, and deliver products while driving positive impact for our business and communities.
At the heart of PepsiCo are our people: professionals who bring curiosity, drive, and fresh thinking, working together to turn ideas into action. Across functions, teams, and markets, we collaborate to solve challenges, unlock new opportunities, and create meaningful impact for our consumers, customers, and communities.
No matter your role, you'll be part of a connected community where your contributions matter, your voice is heard, and your development is supported. With opportunities to grow, belong, and smile, PepsiCo offers more than a place to build your career—it offers the chance to help create what's next.
Responsibilities
As a R&D Scientist with PepsiCo, you will have unique opportunities to increase technical knowledge by participating in the development of a diverse portfolio of beverage and snack product categories. The teams translate strategic market objectives into new products and processes, optimize designs per consumer response and select winning ideas for commercialization. Scientists participate in leading the product development process including new idea generation, prototype development, product optimization and production start-up.
Successful candidates thrive in an environment of fast-paced, consumer-driven product development.
What you can expect:
- Develop product formulations that leverages expertise in food chemistry and food ingredient functionality
- Design and execute experiments, and analyze and interpret data to make sound technical recommendations on product and process
- Provide technical risk assessment/perspectives related to new product development
- Translate product attributes into formal specifications for manufacture
- Investigate and apply new technology to provide a competitive advantage
- Partner externally to source ingredients and leverage vendor expertise in ingredient functionality
- Lead development for quality/product improvement and productivity initiatives
Participate as an active member of cross-functional business development teams comprised of individuals from a variety of disciplines, including Marketing, Finance, Purchasing, Engineering and many others
Qualifications
- Currently pursuing a degree in Food Science or other related majors will be considered
- Demonstrated ability to translate business objectives into strategic and tactical project goals and objectives
- Proven ability to make significant technical scientific advances utilizing internal and/or external resources
- Demonstrated understanding of how to incorporate business needs into technical decisions
- Ability and interest to work in laboratory, pilot plant and manufacturing scale environments
- Proven ability to manage multiple assignments/ tasks
- Familiarity with data science preferred
- Strong communication skills (oral and written)
- Willingness to travel
Minimum Qualifications - Each candidate is expected to:
- Be completing their final year of undergraduate studies
- Hold a bachelor’s degree prior to the intended full time start date
- This position is limited to persons with indefinite right to work in the United States.
The expected compensation range for this role based on a full-time schedule is $75,400 - $88,500.
- Role, degree discipline, degree level, and location are part of the process when determining actual starting salary for positions.
- Compensation for our campus hires is pre-determined and non-negotiable.
- Paid time off in accordance with policy is subject to eligibility and includes vacation, holiday, sick, bereavement and parental leave
- Vacation: for eligible full-time employees, a minimum of 15 paid vacation days
- Holidays: for eligible full-time employees, the company provides 10 paid holidays annually
- Sick Leave: for eligible full- time employees, 10 days (80 hours) of paid sick leave benefits are available for absences related to non-job-related injury. Sick leave benefit will be accrued during your first year at 1 day for each month worked in that calendar year
- Bereavement Leave: In the event of a death of an immediate family member, full-time and part-time regular employees are eligible to receive up to three (3) consecutive working days with pay
- Parental Leave: for eligible employees, the company offers paid parental leave for up to 6 weeks to allow for a time of bonding with their newborn or newly adopted child
- 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.
EEO Statement
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
Company at a glance
PepsiCo is a playground for curious people. We invite thinkers, doers, and changemakers to champion innovation, take calculated risks, and challenge the status quo. From executives to team members on the front lines, we’re excited about the future. We take chances. Together, we dare to make the world a better place.
Our associates are the magic ingredient. Each of them plays an integral role in helping create deep connections between people and our products. Think about your last group celebration: Chances are, one of our iconic brands was by your side. At PepsiCo, you’re invited to be a part of a global team of innovators who make, move, and sell these products—which are enjoyed by more than 1 billion people a day.
A career at PepsiCo means working in a culture where everyone’s welcome. Here, you can dare to be yourself. No matter who you are or where you’re from, you can influence the people around you and the world at large. By showing up, you’ll have the opportunity to learn, develop and grow your skills for the future. Our supportive teams can fuel your professional goals to make a global impact on people and the planet.
Join us. Dare for Better.
Top Benefits
- Paid time off
- Vacation
- Holidays
- Sick leave
- Bereavement leave
- Parental leave
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Disability insurance
- Health and dependent care reimbursement accounts
- Employee assistance program
- Accident insurance
- Group legal insurance
- Life insurance
- Defined contribution retirement plan
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