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Senior food technologist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Tedley Pihl,

Dr. Sheryl Barringer

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical senior food technologist skills. We ranked the top skills for senior food technologists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 11.2% of senior food technologist resumes contained food safety as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a senior food technologist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 senior food technologist skills for your resume and career

1. Food Safety

Here's how senior food technologists use food safety:

Analyzed lab data and coordinated with vendors to meet the company's food safety and quality requirements.
Work with Operation Improvements to ensure all equipment are meeting food safety standard.

2. QA

QA, or Quality Assurance is a procedure that entails all of the steps taken to avoid any errors in the manufacturing process or in the production of the goods that a company produces. It can also include ensuring the consistency of the services rendered. Quality assurance ensures that the quality of the service delivered to consumers meets or exceeds the promised expectations. This greatly aids in the prevention of any complications that might arise after the goods or services have been distributed. It makes sure that customers are satisfied.

Here's how senior food technologists use qa:

Performed physical quality analyses of various food items in on-site QA laboratory.
Provide labeling and regulatory expertise to R&D, QA, QC, supply chain, sales and marketing teams.

3. FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a division of the US Department of Health and Human Services that regulates the production and sale of food, pharmaceutical products, medical equipment, and other consumer goods, as well as veterinary medicine. The FDA is now in charge of overseeing the manufacture of products like vaccines, allergy treatments, and beauty products.

Here's how senior food technologists use fda:

Prepare Nutritional Statements and FDA approved Nutrition Panels with Genesis R&D Software.
Supervised, trained and standardized staff according to the 1999 FDA Food Code.

4. Pilot Plant

A pilot plant is a small, pre-commercial production system that is operated to determine whether a process is feasible and sustainable before using it on a large industrial scale. It is an important test for new processes or equipment in hazard identification before production takes place on a larger scale.

Here's how senior food technologists use pilot plant:

Set up intricate pilot plant processes with numerous pieces of equipment based on developer needs.
Conducted pilot plant experiments on process cheese slices, sauces, and loaves.

5. Technical Support

Technical support or tech support are the services provided by any hardware or software company to users. They help in solving the technical difficulties the customers face with their products or services. Moreover, the tech support employees maintain, manage, and repair the IT faults. They are also responsible for resolving the network problems, installing and configuring hardware and software.

Here's how senior food technologists use technical support:

Provided formulation/technical support during start-up of Jell-O Pudding Snacks manufacturing facility Defined process and packaging conditions to maximize product quality and yields
Interfaced with Quality Assurance and Engineering when technical support is needed on continuous improvement of manufacturing.

6. Culinary

Here's how senior food technologists use culinary:

Co-developed Birdseye Fresh Creations frozen dinners (regular & nutritionally-modified portfolios), vegetable side dishes, fruit/vegetable-based culinary sauces.
Identified and implemented initial culinary area for retail/FS prototyping and applications area.

7. USDA

Here's how senior food technologists use usda:

Created a in-house pesticide program to reduce cost instead of outsourcing testing per USDA approval.
Ensured the product coming out of department meets the USDA and the customer/company specifications.

8. HACCP

Here's how senior food technologists use haccp:

Started the establishment and implementation of HACCP and cGMP.
Maintain continuous improvement effort on HACCP system within manufacturing.

9. Product Development

Product development is the complete procedure of creating a product from concept until release of the final product. Product development has many stages after which a product is released into the market. Identifying the need, creating the opportunity, conceptualizing a product, and providing a solution, all are different stages of product development.

Here's how senior food technologists use product development:

Trouble shooting and problem solving related to product development, commercialization and production.
Supervised product modifications and the product development.

10. GMP

GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practice. It is a system that ensures that all products like food, beverages, and medicinal drugs that are produced comply with the quality standards. It helps in minimizing the risks and hazards that cannot be eliminated after the testing of final products.

Here's how senior food technologists use gmp:

Facilitated training on production equipment and GMP's traveled to multiple sites with employees to complete training.
Provide training on a monthly basis such as GMP's, Safety, and work performance.

11. Plant Trials

Here's how senior food technologists use plant trials:

Assist manufacturing by participating in plant trials aimed at improving production techniques and overall food quality.
Arranged and assisted in production plant trials and commercialization scale-ups.

12. Technical Assistance

Technical assistance is the non-financial assistance provided by local or international specialists. The purpose of technical assistance is to maximize the project's implementation and quality of the final product. Technical assistance consists of sharing information, the transmission of working knowledge, and other transfer of technical data which would aid the administration, management team and help build the project. The technical assistance focuses on particular needs identified by the beneficiary country and is delivered in the form of missions.

Here's how senior food technologists use technical assistance:

Provide technical assistance to sales and customers in optimizing ingredients formulations and processing.
Provided technical assistance for processing improvement, trouble shooting and cost reduction

13. Product Improvements

Here's how senior food technologists use product improvements:

Applied sensory perception to evaluate flavors and seasonings for product improvements.
Identify and use different methods of creative idea generation by staff for new product concepts or product improvements.

14. BARS

Here's how senior food technologists use bars:

Developed nutritional labels and technical data sheets for contract manufactured bars, store branded bars and cereals.
Project leader for the development of 5 nutritional bars and nutritional powdered shake products.

15. Cost Savings

Here's how senior food technologists use cost savings:

Achieved cost savings in excess of $20 million through product reformulations, alternate ingredient identification, and supplier evaluations.
Initiate and manage cost savings projects resulting in over $10,000,000 cost savings during the current fiscal year.

What skills help Senior Food Technologists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on senior food technologist resumes?

Tedley Pihl

Assistant Professor of Practice, University of Arizona

Data analysis, Microbiology, Internships in applied areas.

What soft skills should all senior food technologists possess?

Dr. Sheryl Barringer

Professor and Department Chair, The Ohio State University

Critical soft skills include problem-solving and the ability to work collaboratively in teams. The issues facing the food industry require expertise in a wide range of areas, and that requires people able to work with colleagues who have different backgrounds. Strong problem-solving skills are required to face the many challenges facing the food industry.

What hard/technical skills are most important for senior food technologists?

Dr. Sheryl Barringer

Professor and Department Chair, The Ohio State University

The critical technical skills in food science are a good understanding of chemistry, engineering, and microbiology.

What senior food technologist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Jeffrey Swada Ph.D.

Director of Undergraduate Studies Director of Undergraduate Food Science Program Associate Professor, Food Science Advisor Food Processing Complex Manager and Mobile Lab Liaison, Michigan State University

I would recommend to students to first build your resume before graduating. Doing internships, research, studying abroad, participating in clubs such as food science club, Product Development team, College Bowl, and other experiential learning opportunities are key. By having a great foundation, this will make you more competitive and stand out amongst other applicants and thus will lead to a better starting salary. Once employed, I'd recommend to go above and beyond to impress your employer. If you are willing to put in the work, go beyond your comfort zone, move up in the company, this will result in a higher pay raise. You can also go back and get a masters degree to make yourself even more desirable.

What type of skills will young senior food technologists need?

Jennifer Garcia

Media & Public Relations Specialist, Institute of Food Technologists

So, what are companies in the science of food looking for in prospective employees? Simply put, employers are looking for candidates that are well rounded, said Lowell Isom, managing partner for HHI Search, an executive recruiting firm for scientists and engineers. "In the past, there was a pretty clear delineation between the technical talent and those that had the strategic leadership skills," explained Isom. "Now, somebody that's coming in that's running an organization from a leadership standpoint also needs to bring a very specific technical skill set along with him that is still leveraged."
TC Chatterjee, CEO at Griffith Foods, agrees that job seekers need to bring more than just a specific set of technical skills. "It is more than just technical skills; it is those skills in application," explained Chatterjee. Just as important is the job seeker's attitude. "Increasingly, what I think food companies are looking for is the ability of individuals to come in and be additive and accretive in what we are looking to do," said Chatterjee. "Specifically, meeting consumers' needs that are changing dramatically and at a much more rapid pace means that we, as food companies, have to be equipped to meet those needs of our customers-in our case, food manufacturers-and then their customers-the ultimate consumers. That requires an additional level of speed. If that's the ask, then we are looking for people who enable us to be that much faster without compromising on the quality of what it is we are putting together."
Diversity is another aspect that employers look for when making hiring decisions. "We are looking for people, increasingly as a food industry, that bring their values and their whole self to work," said Chatterjee. Because, as Isom explained, "a diverse workforce is more productive, more innovative, and provides a culturally rich experience for employees." But, Isom also noted that it isn't an easy task, and one thing that we may learn coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic is "what organizations really valued diversity and gave it a focused initiative and those that were just really looking to fill seats

Do you want to know more?

List of senior food technologist skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a senior food technologist resume and required skills for a senior food technologist to have include:

Food Safety
QA
FDA
Pilot Plant
Technical Support
Culinary
USDA
HACCP

Product Development
GMP
Plant Trials
Technical Assistance
Product Improvements
BARS
Cost Savings
Extrusion

Food Products
Sensory Evaluation
Trade Shows
Cost Reduction
Line Extensions
Process Improvement
Bakery Products

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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