Location: 5370 S Cicero, Chicago, IL 60638

Work Schedule: Sunday through Thursday, 8am-4pm

Pay Rate: $16.00-18/hr, depending on experience 

Farmer’s Fridge was founded in Chicago in 2013 with the mission of making wholesome, delicious food easily accessible, so people can live a little happier and healthier. Our network of 300+ software-enabled smart Fridges vend handcrafted salads, grain bowls, sandwiches, and more. We are striving to change the food system from the ground up – one Fridge at a time. 

At our core, we are a team that cares – about the business, the impact our product makes, and about each other. We are data-driven, innovative, and quick to move on a good idea. Transparency and collaboration are key to our process, as Farmer’s Fridge is a fast-paced work environment where things are always evolving. We’re proud to have a tight-knit team where people bring their A game every day. 

Various team and company social events and town halls keep us connected to each other as well as aligned and focused on our short and long term goals. We’re opening Fridges weekly across the country and are looking for people with passion, ingenuity, and moxie to join our team and help us fulfill our mission of making healthy food as accessible as a candy bar!

Are you a detail-oriented foodie with an eye for perfection and optimization? Farmer’s Fridge is looking for a Product Development Technician who will support our ever-changing menu. This role reports into the Commercialization wing of the Menu Development department, and will be essential in assisting all production trials, auditing production lines, supporting the Innovation Team to formulate new products, managing sample prep and tracking R&D ingredients, and training team members on correct processing techniques.

The Product Development Technician will...

• Support the execution of all production trials by coordinating inventory needs, checking raw materials quality, auditing ingredient and finished product weights and documenting trial results
• Assisting with recipe trainings, new item shelf life testing, and auditing for first month of production
• Produce samples for customer survey panels and in-market product tests
• Manage and track ingredients for the R&D team help coordinate with Delivery Team to deliver to corporate office when necessary
• Support onboarding of new and temporary employees to ensure quality on finished product is up to standard
• During innovation cycles lull or by-weeks, work in and observe processing rooms to improve quality/efficiency

What are we looking for in a Product Development Technician?

• Experience working in food production
• Leadership skills
• Able to lift up to 40 lbs
• Comfortable being on your feet for extended periods of time
• Comfortable working in a cold environment (38 F or below)
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
• Calculate simple ratios
• Able to multi-task
•  Comfortable working in a fast-paced production environment
• Experience with Good Manufacturing Practices, Allergen controls, and HACCP
• Possess basic computing skills in Google Suite and Microsoft Office
• Bilingual skills in Spanish and English preferred

Benefits at Farmer's Fridge

• Traditional benefits for full-time hourly – Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Short Term and Long Term Disability.
• 10 paid floating holidays
• Generous paid time off policy.
• Daily Farmer’s Fridge meal provided
• Regular team celebrations for company milestones and other special events