Sr. R&D Process Engineer - Dairy
Role & Responsibilities:
- Provides dairy process engineering expertise and knowledge across Dairy Foods product platforms and manufacturing sites
- Proactively identifies opportunities for cost savings, innovation, manufacturing network optimization, material yield improvements, and quality improvements to enable business topline growth
- Leads scale-up from pilot plant to manufacturing and defines process design for new, improved, or revised products and processes
- Applies engineering principles (mass & energy balances, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics) for scale-up and process design
- Leads implementation of projects, plant trials and capital projects within plant and pilot plant
- Leads cross-functional teams in process development or improvement efforts to enhance margin and/or increase capacity
- Analyzes manufacturing data and utilizes statistical methods to troubleshoot and/or identify opportunities to ensure manufacturing systems reliably deliver high quality products
- Identifies and documents product processing requirements and selection criteria for new process equipment
- Collaborates with Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, Regulatory, other R&D functions, and external parties on moderately complex projects and initiatives
- Mentors and process engineers, scientists, and technologists within the organization
Skills and Competencies
- Deep understanding of dairy chemistry and dairy processing techniques is required. Highly desired to have experience with one or more of the following dairy unit operations or make processes: spray drying, evaporators, membrane filtration, fermentation, or crystallization.
- Experience working in or with dairy manufacturing facilities
- Broad and deep range of technical knowledge of foundational engineering and scientific principles
- Experience identifying and implementing cost savings projects
- Strong written and verbal communication and collaboration skills
- Data-based analytical thinking; understanding of Statistical tools and methods
- Proficient with Microsoft Office applications and Minitab
- Strong understanding of analytical and physical characterization methods
- Innovative, inventive, creative thinking and problem solving, with agility to pivot and dive deep into technical challenges
- Ability to travel 10-25% of time
Preferred Experience and Education
- BS degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or other related engineering discipline along with a minimum of 10 years relevant work experience.
- Understanding of Statistical Tools and Methods
- Experience with Dairy Processing
- Strong technical background
- Experience mentoring junior engineers
- Professional Engineer and/or Green Belt Certification would elevate a candidate but is not required
- Familiarity with engineering modeling tools, such as FEA and CFD, is desirable but not required
About Land O'Lakes, Inc.
Join us and be part of a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. We have been named a Top Workplace by Indeed and LinkedIn, and to the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list.
Benefits for most full-time roles include medical, dental, vision, PTO, life & disability insurance, education assistance, a 401k and a variety of well-being resources. Most part-time employees are eligible for prorated PTO, holiday pay, employee development programs, prorated education assistance, and a 401(k).
Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) M/F/Vets/Disabled. The company maintains a drug-free workforce, including post-employment substance abuse testing pursuant to a Drug and Alcohol Policy.
Neither Land O’Lakes, nor its search firms, will ever contact you and ask for confidential information over the phone or in email. If you receive a call or email like this, please do not provide the information being requested.
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