How to hire food scientists and technologists
A job description you can copy, interview questions tied to the real work, and what to pay. Free.
Job description template
Copy it, fill in the brackets, and remove anything that does not fit your job. Keep only must-haves you would really turn someone away for.
[Job title] at [Company name] [City, State] · [Full-time / Part-time] · [Pay range] About the role [Two or three sentences about your team, the work and why it matters.] What you will do • Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value. • Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development. • Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications. • Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management. • Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature. • Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience. • Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing. • Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards. What you bring • [Required license, certification or years of experience, if any] • [Education, only if you truly need it. Typical to start in this job: Bachelor's degree] • Strong active learning, critical thinking, reading comprehension, active listening, science and speaking skills • Working knowledge of production and processing, food production, chemistry and English Language • [Anything else you would really turn someone away for] Pay and benefits [Pay range]. For reference, the U.S. median for this job is $42.65 an hour ($88,720 a year). [Benefits, schedule and anything else candidates should know.] How to apply [Apply on JAI Bot. Every applicant hears back.]
Interview questions for food scientists and technologists
Ask every candidate the same questions, in the same order, and write down what they say. Questions about past work show what someone has actually done.
- Tell me about a time you had to check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about a time you had to inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management. What did you do, and how did it turn out?
- Tell me about something new you had to learn quickly for work. How did you learn it?
- Describe a decision at work where the obvious answer was wrong. How did you work out the better choice?
- Tell me about written instructions, a policy or a manual you had to follow closely. How did you make sure you followed it correctly?
- Why this job, and why now? What would make you stay here for the long term?
Good answers name a real situation, what the person did themselves and what happened. Avoid questions about age, family plans, religion, health, national origin or anything else unrelated to the job.
What food scientists and technologists do
- Check raw ingredients for maturity or stability for processing, and finished products for safety, quality, and nutritional value.
- Confer with process engineers, plant operators, flavor experts, and packaging and marketing specialists to resolve problems in product development.
- Develop food standards and production specifications, safety and sanitary regulations, and waste management and water supply specifications.
- Inspect food processing areas to ensure compliance with government regulations and standards for sanitation, safety, quality, and waste management.
- Stay up to date on new regulations and current events regarding food science by reviewing scientific literature.
- Study methods to improve aspects of foods, such as chemical composition, flavor, color, texture, nutritional value, and convenience.
- Study the structure and composition of food or the changes foods undergo in storage and processing.
- Test new products for flavor, texture, color, nutritional content, and adherence to government and industry standards.
Skills that matter most
Education, experience and outlook for food scientists and technologists
- Typical education to start: Bachelor's degree (BLS)
- Job outlook: +6.2% over ten years, faster than average · about 1,000 openings a year (BLS)
What to pay food scientists and technologists
Pay depends a lot on where the job is. Highest and lowest median yearly pay by state:
| State | Median yearly pay |
|---|---|
| New Jersey | $104,340 |
| Minnesota | $99,280 |
| Illinois | $94,340 |
| New York | $94,070 |
| California | $93,950 |
See food scientists and technologists pay in every state
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- Biological Scientists, All Other
- Conservation Scientists
- Foresters
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- Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
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Post a job freePay by areaJob duties and skills: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. JAI Bot has modified this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025. Interview questions and the job description template: JAI Bot, based on the duties and skills above.