Senior Food Scientist (Pet Food)

Location: Dandenong South, Victoria, Australia. Hybrid working with 3 days per week in the office; onsite attendance is required during onboarding. Pet-friendly offices and industrial kitchens are available in Sydney and Melbourne.

Company

hirify.global is an Australian pet wellness company developing fresh, nutritionally balanced wholefood meals and other products designed to improve the health and lifespan of dogs and cats.

What you will do

• Lead formulation and reformulation projects for new and existing pet food recipes.
• Assess nutritional, safety, sensory, functional, allergen, and shelf-life impacts of ingredient and process changes.
• Manage product development from concept through trials, sensory evaluation, scale-up, and commercialisation.
• Maintain formulation documentation, product specifications, and version control across the recipe portfolio.
• Work with Operations, Manufacturing, and CAPEX teams to troubleshoot production issues and define equipment specifications, process standards, and SOPs.
• Support supplier and ingredient qualification, mentor junior food technologists, and contribute to continuous improvement and regulatory monitoring.

Requirements

• Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, or a related field.
• More than 3 years of hands-on product development experience.
• Experience leading technical projects or teams and taking products from concept to commercialisation.
• Deep knowledge of food processing, ingredient functionality, and nutritional formulation.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, leadership, and mentoring skills.
• Independent, proactive, solutions-focused approach with a passion for innovation and pet health.

Nice to have

• Product development experience in pet food, human food, or the meat industry.

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-growing startup environment with opportunities to take on increasing responsibilities.
• Annual learning and development budget.
• Sustainability-focused business with carbon-negative and plastic-negative operations.
• Diverse team with colleagues from varied backgrounds and geographies.
• Up to 18 weeks of paid parental leave top-up and wellbeing support.
• Pet-friendly offices, flexible arrangements for new pets, discounts, and financial support for dog training and care.