Associate Technology Scientist - Gum Base in Chicago, IL

Job description

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there's more to being in business than just making a profit. That's the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet. What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it's never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It's about how you can grab everything that's within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It's about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we'll all be a little better off. It's that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

Mars has net sales of more than $33 billion, operates five business segments including Pet care, Mars Wrigley Confectionary, Food, Drinks, Symbioscience, and more than 75,000 Associates worldwide that are putting its Principles into action to make a difference for people and the planet through its performance.

Mars brands include: Petcare – PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, BANFIELD® Pet Hospital, CESAR®, SHEBA®, DREAMIES® and NUTRO®; Confectionary – M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, DOVE®, GALAXY®, MARS®, MILKY WAY®, TWIX®, DOUBLEMINT®, EXTRA®, ORBIT® and 5™ chewing gums, SKITTLES® and STARBURST® candies, and ALTOIDS® AND LIFESAVERS® mints. Food – UNCLE BEN'S®, DOLMIO®, EBLY®, MASTERFOODS®, SEEDS OF CHANGE® and ROYCO®; Drinks – ALTERRA COFFEE ROASTERS™, THE BRIGHT TEA COMPANY™, KLIX® and FLAVIA®; Symbioscience – COCOAVIA® and WISDOM PANEL®.

Mars Wrigley Confectionary is looking Associate Technology Scientist – Gum Base in Chicago, IL.

The Associate Technology Scientist will support research in the area of gum base – including performing basic research projects to evaluate new / alternative base formulas and ingredient opportunities and may be involved in the researching of new base materials and systems. The primary focus will be on chewing gum and chewing gum ingredients, but the research could also include other confectionery / food systems. The incumbent will apply current methodologies in addition to developing new approaches to improve our working material knowledge and competencies. The incumbent will also be a key technical point of contact for commercial and supply chain on routine base and raw material matters.

Key Responsibilities:

·  Connect and collaborate with all functions interacting with the Base Science team to ensure clear alignment of activities to deliver business results.
·  Support the analysis of gum base ingredients from new or alternative suppliers and conduct experiments to evaluate their performance in base and finished products.
·  May lead routine research projects to design and /evaluate new base formulations that optimize, improve, and simplify the current systems.
·  Provides data analysis, conclusions, recommendations and technical updates to project teams.
·  Provides technical assistance to production and quality within associate factories as requested.
·  Provides technical support across R&D, Commercial and Supply Chain.
·  Makes data driven decision to support the portfolio of raw material and gum base projects.
·  Works closely with other team members on identifying, building and executing the Base Science team's pipeline of projects \ opportunities.
·  Additional responsibilities include: planning and executing daily laboratory work, testing material performance, conducting factory trials, generation of data to support finished materials specifications.

Minimum Qualifications:

·  Bachelor's degree in Polymer Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Food Science
·  1 year experience working in a material science & analytical chemistry role
·  Excellent written and verbal communication skills
·  Successful Completion of a drug and background screen

Desired profile

Key Responsibilities:

·  Connect and collaborate with all functions interacting with the Base Science team to ensure clear alignment of activities to deliver business results.
·  Support the analysis of gum base ingredients from new or alternative suppliers and conduct experiments to evaluate their performance in base and finished products.
·  May lead routine research projects to design and /evaluate new base formulations that optimize, improve, and simplify the current systems.
·  Provides data analysis, conclusions, recommendations and technical updates to project teams.
·  Provides technical assistance to production and quality within associate factories as requested.
·  Provides technical support across R&D, Commercial and Supply Chain.
·  Makes data driven decision to support the portfolio of raw material and gum base projects.
·  Works closely with other team members on identifying, building and executing the Base Science team's pipeline of projects \ opportunities.
·  Additional responsibilities include: planning and executing daily laboratory work, testing material performance, conducting factory trials, generation of data to support finished materials specifications.

Minimum Qualifications:

·  Bachelor's degree in Polymer Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Food Science
·  1 year experience working in a material science & analytical chemistry role
·  Excellent written and verbal communication skills
·  Successful Completion of a drug and background screen

Preferred Qualifications:

·  Advanced degree in Polymer Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or Food Science
·  2+ years' experience working in a material science & analytical chemistry role
·  Experience working on cross-functional project teams
·  Experience relating complex data and concepts
·  Ability to constructively challenge cross-functional project teams and business partners
·  Proven track record of delivering against objectives and implementing in regard to quality, time and cost

Company paid relocation is not available for this role.

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.