Kevin Symczak

• Collaborate with Sourcing, Sustainability, Regulatory, Purchasing, Research, and Operations teams to ensure safe and quality supply of raw materials while supporting company mission and values
• Work directly with current and potential Raw Material suppliers to ensure current and incoming material meets our internal specifications technically, as well as ensure additional quality parameters are met (Non-Animal testing, Composition certificates, Non-GMO certificates, EU and US Regulations, etc.)
• Work in partnership with the global quality teams to align on new procedures for Diversification processes, updates on new regulations, etc
• Support manufacturing facilities with testing troubleshooting issues, supplier issues or concerns, etc
• Manage multiple quality projects with different suppliers for various Raw Materials
• Crisis Management: prioritize high risk materials (securization need, savings, localization, Raw Material shortage, supply chain issues, etc.) to effectively ensure the diversification process proceeds from a documentation and analysis standpoint.

Employee Management

• Identify organizational inefficiencies and quickly identify solutions to those challenges
• Lead team-wide meetings, assign tasks and workloads to employees, and foster collaboration among teams and across departments
• Ensure all projects are completed in a timely manner

• Perform various analytical wet chemistry and instrumental tests on raw materials, such as specific gravity, viscosity, potentiometric titrations, water content, Gas Chromatography, and FTIR
• Perform testing of final product using HPLC and various physio-chemical methods used for stability and behavior studies on the bulk part
• Evaluate and compare the analytical results of reference and candidate raw materials to validate whether or not these materials are equivalent
• Apply existing test methods and procedures to complete the required analytical testing
• Apply analytical chemistry knowledge to find a creative way to analyze specific parameters, when existing test methods are not relevant
• Troubleshoot instruments and thoroughly investigate out-of-specifications results
• Maintain accurate records, reports, spreadsheets, entry and maintenance of electronic notebooks and communicate the results to the supervisor on a regular basis.

• Independently developing and validating new analytical methods using HPLC, UHPLC, LCMS, as well as other spectroscopic and thermoanalytical techniques
• Formulation knowledge of stevia blends and their different applications (patent pending); raw material chemistry
• Independently design and refine experiments to reflect project goals as well as departmental and manufacturing needs; Design of Experiments
• Evaluate competitor products for steviol glycoside composition and communicate findings to our business and marketing teams
• Performing analytical tests independently and accurately analyzing results, documenting analytical findings and communicating results to the technical team and management
• Setting up, operating, and maintaining standard lab equipment/techniques of moderate to hard complexity
• Proactively seeking to understand the impact of work on projects, from ingredients to final products, and offering suggestions based on hands-on testing
• Leadership experience includes: Taking the role as point person in the Analytical Sweetener lab in absence of manager (maternity leave) and leading more junior team members
• In charge of independently presenting data and findings to the department during meetings
• Assisted the business with my work in the purchasing of our competitor PureCircle Ltd
• Analytical lead for a majority of the Sweetener projects
• Treasurer of Bridgewater campus 'NExT Generation Group' where we focus on integrating new hires and creating a fun and exciting work culture.

• Perform stevia analysis and method development on HPLC/UHPLC
• Conduct long and short term thermal stability and photo stability assessments on new stevia products received
• Communicate with service representatives and technicians to resolve system issues
• Review SOPs and ingredient screening methods
• Adhere to guidelines set forth by organizations including, but not limited to, USP, JECFA, FDA.