Food NPD Specialist
Job Description
Location: Urbana Illinois - 100% onsite
Contract Duration: 2 years (with potential to convert to permanent)
Compensation: Competitive; aligned with experience and qualifications
- Lead pilot-scale process development trials with a focus on food safety, GMP, and FDA compliance.
- Operate and maintain pilot plant equipment, ensuring processes align with food industry best practices.
- Collaborate with engineering, operations, and global R&D teams to ensure equipment and processes are fit for purpose.
- Plan and coordinate pilot and factory-scale trials for process optimization and product development.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives across thermal processing technologies such as sterilization and retort.
- Maintain detailed documentation and reporting of trial outcomes and process parameters.
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Engineering, Food Technology, Chemical Engineering, or a related field.
- At least 2 years of R&D experience in the food or CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) industry.
- Hands-on experience with sterilization, retort technologies, and food safety principles.
- Familiarity with pilot-level equipment operation and process development.
- General knowledge of food manufacturing unit operations, including mixing, sterilization, and packaging.
- Strong ability to work autonomously while also contributing in a collaborative, global team environment.
- Proven ability to plan and execute both pilot and full-scale trials.
- Strong documentation and project coordination skills.
Meet Your Recruiter
Alicia Alexander
Technical Recruiter & Team Mentor
Alicia Alexander is a Technical Recruiter and Team Mentor at Sterling Engineering with four years of recruiting experience and nearly three years with Sterling. She specializes in engineering, manufacturing, and technical recruiting, supporting roles across maintenance, reliability, operations, engineering, and industrial environments, including food and life sciences.
Alicia is passionate about helping people find careers where they feel genuinely happy, supported, and positioned for long-term growth. She enjoys building meaningful relationships with candidates, helping them take the next step in their careers, and supporting companies as they build strong, high-performing teams.
With a background in psychology and human resources from North Central College, Alicia brings a people-focused approach to recruiting. Her understanding of relationship building, communication, and candidate motivation helps her create successful matches between talent and opportunity.
Alicia is known for developing strong partnerships with both candidates and hiring managers, with a focus on creating long-term placements that benefit both the individual and the organization.