Job Description

This position is based in Minneapolis, MN About Us: As a Fortune 50 company with more than 350,000 team members worldwide, Target is an iconic brand and one of America\'s leading retailers. Working at Target means the opportunity to help all families discover the joy of everyday life. Caring for our communities is woven into who we are, and we invest in the places we collectively live, work and play. We prioritize relationships, fuel and develop talent by creating growth opportunities, and succeed as one Target team. At our core, our purpose is ingrained in who we are, what we value, and how we work. It\xe2\x80\x99s how we care, grow, and win together. At the heart of one of the world\xe2\x80\x99s best loved and most recognizable brands is an impeccable Owned Brand Product Design & Management organization. We thrive on the magic of discovering that just-right thing, and we infuse everything we do with our passion for affordable chic. We concept, develop, make and deliver the stylish new favorites that Target guests expect and deserve. We are uber-savvy trend and style experts who stay ahead of the curve, proactively identifying our market\xe2\x80\x99s needs and exceeding them, every time. Join one of our dynamic and inventive teams to influence the style, quality and value that decisively position Target above the competition. Your input will have a direct and positive effect, whether on home, hardlines, or apparel & accessories. Here, you\xe2\x80\x99ll be close to the action of dreaming up and bringing to life the Target-owned brands that surprise and gratify guests, wherever and whenever they love to shop. A role as a PD Scientist means owning formulated and materials product categories and driving for differentiation in Pet Owned Brands. Do you love to create product solutions that help meet strategic business goals? Can you demonstrate creative and inventive ways to develop products that are unprecedented in the marketplace for their quality and performance? Then you\xe2\x80\x99ll have success with our team of Scientists who own the formulation development of Target-Owned Brands. In close partnership with compliance and sourcing counterparts, you\xe2\x80\x99ll drive brand cohesion and continuity of quality & performance, while ensuring our products meet merchant line plans, assortment strategies, price points and overall product direction. You\xe2\x80\x99ll also collaborate with vendors to ensure that the brand vision is clearly understood and successfully brought to life with every product we offer. As a PD Scientist on the Pets Team you will own Pet Essentials categories such as Grooming, Dental and Waste and support Senior and Principal Scientists in Pet Food categories. You will also collaborate within a cross functional team comprised of business, brand, technical, regulatory, and marketing partners to identify product opportunities and build winning solutions for our guests. You will be accountable for owning end-to-end product development, quality monitoring, and championing our team and company values. New Product Development:

• In partnership with Principal Scientist, participate in technical research and development on formulation, materials, and absorbent products.
• Help create department level technical strategies for formulation and materials based on business goals.
• Develop product specifications for industry leading formulations and materials.
• Identify future manufacturing partners in collaboration with sourcing and merchant teams.
• Evaluate product samples and communicate quality differences to the cross functional team.
• Recommend manufacturing partners and collaborate with manufacturing partners to ensure products meet quality and price guidelines.
• Identify and resolve testing issues during the development process.

Product Attributes, Quality Monitoring and Control:

• Maintain a working knowledge of applicable government regulatory requirements, safety protocols and Target performance standards for products across assigned categories.
• Understand benchmarks for specified owned brands to continuously evaluate and compare Target products meet or exceed performance of competition
• Rigorous evaluations ensure Target Owned Brand product is differentiated from competition
• Partner with Target Compliance and Quality Teams to develop performance testing protocols.
• Create product technical specifications and product quality standards.
• Partner with Target teams and vendors to ensure the brand vision is appropriately understood and executed.

Research:

• Research and develop innovative product solutions that may include raw materials, constructions, manufacturing processes and technologies.
• At time, attend conferences, trade shows and trainings to remain current on industry material innovation, manufacturing practices, and regulation changes.

About You:

• 4-year college degree in a science or technical field or equivalent experience. M.S preferred.
• 3-7 years of relevant industry experience.
• Experience in Pet Formulated and/or Pet Food development desired (not required)
• Knowledge of testing, safety and legal requirements for consumer products.
• Knowledge of applicable raw materials and their performance and usage.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to successfully work in a team environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and creative thinking skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills \xe2\x80\x93 ability to synthesize & communicate emerging science knowledge succinctly
• Strong project management skills
• Ability to communicate business and technical details across various departments levels.
• Exhibits a deep knowledge of product formulation and manufacturing.
• Experience working in a large scale global manufacturing or research and development organization preferred.
• Ability to own categories and willingness to learn new categories

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Target will provide reasonable accommodations (such as a qualified sign language interpreter or other personal assistance) with the application process upon your request as required to comply with applicable laws. If you have a disability and require assistance in this application process, please visit your nearest Target store or Distribution Center or reach out to Guest Services at 1-800-440-0680 for additional information.
Qualifications: