Food Technologist

Position Title: Food Technologist / Confectionery Food Engineer

Location: Nassau Candy Headquarters – Hicksville, NY

Schedule: Full-Time, On-Site

Who We Are

Nassau Candy is a leading manufacturer, importer, and distributor of specialty confections, gourmet foods, and private-label products. With a commitment to innovation, quality, and customer satisfaction, we serve major retailers and specialty stores across the country. Our passion for food and excellence drives us to constantly develop new and exciting products that delight consumers and meet the ever-evolving market demands.

What We’re Looking For

We are currently seeking a Food Technologist / Confectionery Food Engineer with proven experience in candy and confectionery development. This individual will play a pivotal role in the formulation, testing, scale-up, and commercialization of new candy and sweet products, as well as optimizing existing recipes for cost, quality, and manufacturing efficiency. Experience with bakery or pastry production will be a strong advantage.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Innovation

• Lead the formulation and development of candy, specialty confections, gourmet sweets, and novel products from concept through commercialization.
• Source and evaluate ingredients for innovation, scalability, compliance, and cost-effectiveness.
• Maintain deep knowledge of flavor subcomponents and their contributions to overall flavor profiles.
• Proactively identify and develop trend-right confections by monitoring blogs, reports, and flavor trends.
• Ensure compliance with FDA ingredient and labeling regulations.
  
  

Process Engineering & Scale-Up

• Conduct pilot testing and scale-up production for new and existing products.
• Design and modify manufacturing processes to achieve consistent product appearance, flavor, color, and texture.
• Integrate new products and equipment into existing facilities to improve production efficiency.
• Recommend and implement cost-saving and process optimization initiatives.
  
  

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build and maintain relationships across Product Development, Quality, Regulatory, Sales, Purchasing, and external partners including customer technologists and scientists.
• Lead and manage cross-functional projects including ingredient substitution, flavor duplication, and shelf-life improvement.
• Analyze and communicate chemical, physical, and sensory parameters of ingredients and finished products.
• Maintain and utilize lab equipment and tools for product testing and quality validation.
  
  

Quality & Compliance

• Understand and advise on chocolate and confectionery product chemistry, stability, and packaging impact.
• Ensure food safety standards are upheld; empowered to halt production in case of food safety risks.
  
  

Continuous Learning & Industry Awareness

• Stay informed on confectionery market trends, technical developments, and competitive activity.
• Drive continuous improvement by benchmarking industry best practices and innovations.
  
  

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in the confectionery industry (required). Experience in bakery and/or pastry production is highly preferred.
• Proven track record in developing, testing, and manufacturing sweet/confectionery products.
  
  

Skills & Knowledge

• Strong grasp of preservative systems and ingredient impact on shelf life.
• Working knowledge of regulatory and label compliance (Natural, Organic, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free).
• Must be able to taste and evaluate all types of chocolate and confectionery products.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High proficiency with Microsoft Office and analytical tools.
• Strong problem-solving and multitasking capabilities.
  
  

Why Join Us?

At Nassau Candy, you’ll be part of a passionate team that thrives on creativity, innovation, and hands-on collaboration. If you have a sweet tooth for product development and a mind for food engineering, we’d love to meet you.