Food Scientist at Eat Just

<div class="content-intro"><p class="" data-start="167" data-end="449">Eat Just is on a mission to build a healthier, safer, and more sustainable food system—starting with what’s on your plate. From pioneering plant-based eggs to making real meat without slaughter, we’re reimagining the future of food in ways that are better for people and the planet.</p> <p class="" data-start="451" data-end="714">We’re a lean, passionate team of scientists, chefs, engineers, and operators who believe that doing hard things well can make a meaningful difference. We’ve brought groundbreaking innovations to market, like Just Egg and GOOD Meat, and we’re just getting started.</p> <p class="" data-start="716" data-end="840">If you’re excited by big challenges, real impact, and the chance to shape what the future tastes like—we’d love to meet you.</p> <p class="" data-start="842" data-end="939"><a class="" href="https://ju.st" target="_new" data-start="842" data-end="886">Learn more about Eat Just and our products →</a></p></div><p>We’re looking for an&nbsp;Extrusion Scientist / SME to lead extrusion strategy and execution across our emerging Just Meat platform. This role will sit at HQ but serve as the company’s in-house extrusion expert, partnering closely with our co-manufacturing network to ensure consistent, high-quality production at scale.</p> <p>You will play a critical role in translating product innovation into manufacturable reality — owning extrusion process development, troubleshooting, and optimization to deliver best-in-class texture, performance, and efficiency. This is a highly cross-functional role spanning R&amp;D, Operations, and external manufacturing partners.</p> <p><strong>What You’ll Do</strong></p> <ul> <li>Own extrusion expertise for Just Meat and future platforms, serving as the internal SME on high-moisture and/or low-moisture extrusion processes.</li> <li>Lead process development and scale-up from bench to pilot to full commercial manufacturing, ensuring successful technology transfer to co-manufacturers.</li> <li>Partner directly with co-manufacturing facilities — spending meaningful time onsite — to oversee production runs, troubleshoot issues in real time, and drive continuous improvement.</li> <li>Optimize extrusion parameters (e.g., moisture, temperature, shear, die configuration) to achieve target texture, structure, and product performance.</li> <li>Collaborate with Product Development to ensure formulations are designed for manufacturability and aligned with extrusion capabilities.</li> <li>Drive root-cause analysis and problem-solving for production challenges, including variability in raw materials, process deviations, and scale-related issues.</li> <li>Establish process standards and documentation to ensure repeatability, quality, and efficiency across manufacturing partners.</li> <li>Evaluate and implement new technologies and ingredients to advance product quality and expand capabilities in alternative protein systems.</li> <li>Support broader product innovation efforts as needed, particularly where extrusion is a key enabler.</li> <li>Travel regularly to co-manufacturing partners to support commercialization, production runs, and ongoing optimization.</li> </ul> <p><strong>What You’ll Bring</strong></p> <ul> <li>Master’s or PhD in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related field.</li> <li>3-5 + &nbsp;years of hands-on extrusion experience, ideally within plant-based or alternative protein systems.</li> <li>Deep expertise in high-moisture extrusion (strongly preferred) and/or textured vegetable protein (TVP) processes.</li> <li>Proven track record of scaling extrusion-based products from development to commercial production, including work with co-manufacturers.</li> <li>Strong understanding of structure-function relationships in protein systems and how they translate through extrusion.</li> <li>Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot live manufacturing environments and drive process improvements under real-world constraints.</li> <li>Experience working cross-functionally with R&amp;D, Operations, and Quality teams.</li> <li>Willingness and ability to travel on a monthly cadence to manufacturing sites.</li> <li>Clear communicator who can translate technical insights into actionable direction for diverse stakeholders.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Why Join Just Food Company</strong></p> <ul> <li>Be at the forefront of building a new category in alternative protein.</li> <li>Own a high-impact technical domain that is critical to the success of our Just Meat platform.</li> <li>Work in a lean, highly collaborative environment where you can see the direct impact of your work on products and the broader mission.</li> <li>Partner closely with leadership and manufacturing teams to shape how we scale and execute.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Compensation:</strong> The expected base salary range for this role (based in Emeryville, CA) is $135,000 - $165,000.</p> <p><strong>Additional Information &amp; Requirements</strong></p> <ul> <li>This is a full-time onsite role (5 days/week) at our headquarters in Emeryville, CA.</li> <li>This role requires unrestricted domestic and international travel up to 30%</li> <li>Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Just Food Company participates in E-Verify.</li> </ul> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>