R&D Associate Principal Scientist - Natural Sweetener

Overview

Change-the-World with Ambition

Bring your passion and talent to our Natural Sweetener research team and drive future innovation for multibillion-dollar beverage brands. As you advance your career in one of the largest Food and Beverage Companies in the world, your contributions will have an impact on changing the product landscape for consumers, including healthy options for all global markets.

Role:

PepsiCo offers a rewarding opportunity for personal and professional growth. You will have a unique opportunity to expand your knowledge and learn together with your peers. As you advance your career in one of the largest Food and Beverage Companies in the world, your contributions will have an impact on changing the product landscape for consumers, including healthy options for all global markets.

Responsibilities

As part of the Natural Sweetener research team, you will advance emerging sweetener technologies from scientific understanding to scalable beverage application, generating insights, technical readouts, and IP strategies that build competitive advantage.

• Build Scientific and Competitive Understanding: Build deep understanding of emerging sweetener systems by integrating scientific literature, supplier inputs, internal learnings, and external technology trends.
• Design and Execute Targeted Experiments: Develop and execute hypothesis-driven experiments to assess sweetness performance, stability, solubility, and key formulation variables in model systems.
• Qualify Technologies and Enable Decisions: Lead ingredient qualification and characterization in beverage models, including functionality, ingredient interactions, feasibility, and clear technical recommendations.
• Generate Sensory Insights: Design sensory evaluations and partner with sensory teams to translate results into product-relevant insights.
• Translate Science into Scalable Solutions: Apply sweeteners in beverage systems and partner cross-functionally to develop fit-for-purpose, scalable technology solutions.
• Leverage External Innovation and Build IP Advantage: Engage external partners to scout and evaluate new technologies while shaping IP strategies that build layers of advantage, insulate key technologies, and strengthen competitive differentiation.
• Build Knowledge and Capability: Document and systematize findings into data repositories, comparative frameworks, and best practices that strengthen team capability.

Compensation and Benefits:

• The expected compensation range for this position is between $93,500 - $156,450.
• Location, confirmed job-related skills, experience, and education will be considered in setting actual starting salary. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range during the hiring process.
• Bonus based on performance and eligibility target payout is 10% of annual salary paid out annually.
• Paid time off subject to eligibility, including paid parental leave, vacation, sick, and bereavement.
• In addition to salary, PepsiCo offers a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees and their families, subject to elections and eligibility: Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Health, and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Insurance (Accident, Group Legal, Life), Defined Contribution Retirement Plan.

Qualifications

• Benchwork, basic chemistry experience, preferably with ingredients or sweeteners directly
• Highly motivated, team oriented, and possessing strong communication skills. Results oriented with the ability to manage, balance and prioritize multiple project initiatives to meet business objectives

• This position is limited to persons with indefinite right to work in the United States

EEO Statement

Our Company will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and all other applicable laws, including but not limited to, San Francisco Police Code Sections 4901-4919, commonly referred to as the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance; and Chapter XVII, Article 9 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code, commonly referred to as the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.

PepsiCo is an Equal Opportunity Employer: /Female / Minority / Disability / Protected Veteran / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity

If you'd like more information about your EEO rights as an applicant under the law, please download the available EEO is the Law & EEO is the Law Supplement documents. View PepsiCo EEO Policy.

Please view our Pay Transparency Statement