
Senior Ingredient Specialist
St. Louis, MOJob$87–126K/yrSeen 1 day agoSeen in employer's feed 1 day ago
Most applications go out cold — see where you stand first. No sign-up to start.
Watch jobs like this. New roles like this one near St. Louis, MO, by email.
Don't just apply. Show up ready.
Olive works from this exact posting.
At a glance
Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.
Requirements
Credentials this posting asks for.
Job overview
The Senior Ingredient Specialist qualifies raw materials and suppliers, provides technical support, and leads ingredient-related and quality improvement projects. The role supports product development and factory operations by managing ingredient specifications, portfolios, and performance requirements. It partners with Procurement and cross-functional teams to develop ingredients, assess product impacts, and communicate project risks and timelines. Knowledge of grain, soy, plant protein, or fish science is preferred.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
Driven by integrity and united by the people-and-pet bond, we find strong purpose in the work we do and an even greater joy in those we get to work alongside. Together, we harness the expertise of our long-standing tradition of excellence to embrace possibility and continuously push to do what's never been done before in pet care. Discover your purpose and fuel your passions when you bring your love of pets to a team that prides itself on the power of togetherness—We are Proudly Connected. Purely Driven.
Position Summary
We’re a leader in the pet care industry, which means we’re not only ahead in volume, profit, and market share, we’re at the forefront of innovative product and process development that’s allowing us to lead the march in pushing pet nutrition forward. Your larger team (the Technical Services group) creates the flavors, shapes, and textures often developed in marketing and brought to life through innovative engineering.
As a Senior Ingredient Specialist, you’ll be responsible for qualifying new raw materials, suppliers, and providing technical support to existing suppliers. Identify and lead ingredient-related and quality improvement projects. You’ll work on fast-paced, multi-functional teams focused on procuring new ingredients and new vendors in support of Purina’s strategies and providing technical support to our factories.
-
Lead development and implementation of new and existing ingredients to support existing products and develop new products, based on our state-of-the-art food technology.
-
Work alongside the factory to manage product specifications with the appropriate, nutritional, regulatory, and analytical requirements. Also includes issuing to manufacturing plant and maintaining as needed.
-
Coordinate qualifications of new raw materials, serve as ingredient lead for assigned ingredients, and partner with Procurement to drive ingredient development projects, timelines, and product impact assessments.
-
Provide technical expertise within “discipline” to R&D, Legal, Regulatory, Consumer Marketing, Purchasing, QA, CDG, HR, Plants, US Management, and other groups as it relates to business unit objectives.
-
Collaboratively and proactively keep management and key team project members apprised of issues, risks, timing, and contingencies relevant to technical and business success.
-
Manage and maintain assigned ingredient portfolios, using standardized scientific procedures and capability studies to support ingredient performance, product specifications, and quality requirements.
-
Understand and effectively use Purina systems and tools required for scheduling activity and tests, collecting and analyzing data, and completing and disseminating accurate reports.
Requirements
-
Bachelor’s degree in food science, animal science, or related scientific field
-
5+ years of experience in supply chain, product/ingredient development, environmental sustainability, food science, or related environment
-
30-40% travel
Other
- Knowledge of grain, soy, plant protein, or fish science preferred
Salary: $87,227.10 to $126,450.00 per year
Bonus Eligibility: Yes
The pay range provided is a good faith estimate for the position at the time of posting. Final compensation may vary based on factors including but not limited to knowledge, skills and abilities as well as geographic location. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at top of range.
Nestlé offers performance-based incentives and a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k with company match, healthcare coverage and a broad range of other benefits. Incentives and/or benefit packages may vary depending on the position. Learn more at https://www.nestlejobs.com/nestle-in-the-us-benefits
It is our business imperative to remain a very inclusive workplace.
To our veterans and separated service members, you're at the forefront of our minds as we recruit top talent to join Nestlé. The skills you've gained while serving our country, such as flexibility, agility, and leadership, are much like the skills that will make you successful in this role. In addition, with our commitment to an inclusive work environment, we recognize the exceptional engagement and innovation displayed by individuals with disabilities. Nestlé seeks such skilled and qualified individuals to share our mission where you’ll join a cohort of others who have chosen to call Nestlé home.
The Nestlé Companies are equal employment opportunity employers. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Prior to the next step in the recruiting process, we welcome you to inform us confidentially if you may require any special accommodations in order to participate fully in our recruitment experience. Contact us at [email protected] or please dial 711 and provide this number to the operator: 1-800-321-6467.
This position is not eligible for Visa Sponsorship.
Review our applicant privacy notice before applying at https://www.nestlejobs.com/privacy .
Job Requisition: 423451
How this job compares
Set against the 1,686 open Product Development jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 28, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$87–126K/yr
- US median$115–171K/yr993 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $107K, is 26% below the US median midpoint ($145K) — in the lowest quarter of Product Development salary ranges across the US.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 19 open Product Development jobs in Missouri and 1,686 across the US. 3% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most across the US
- Oracle58 open
- Travelers Insurance Company51 open
- DIRECTV36 open
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 5 years of experience; Product Development postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (1,290 postings).
- Education
- This posting asks for a bachelor's degree; 969 of the 1,686 open Product Development jobs (57%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 28, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
Similar jobs, posted recently
Open roles like this one, listed in the last 30 days.
Senior Product Development SpecialistNestle · St. Louis, MO · $93–127K/yr
Senior Formulation ScientistBalchem · Bridgeton, MOPosted 4w agoPosted 4w ago
Quality Systems CoordinatorRefresco · Maryland Heights, MO
Sr. Sensory ScientistBalchem · Bridgeton, MO
Project Engineering ExpertNestle · St. Louis, MO (Flexible) · $116–169K/yr
You've read the whole posting — now see how you match it.