R&D Manager

About the role

This individual will serve as a technical leader in Process Technology for the Dairy Foods organization, having responsibilities that span mentoring and directly managing individuals. This is a working-manager role, with approximately 20% of responsibilities focused on people management and 80% focused on leading projects and initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate project activities related to scale-up from bench/and or pilot plant to commercial scale.
• Define process design for new, improved, or revised products and processes and support implementation of commercial designs.
• Evaluate project progress and lead team members towards the achievement of tactical project/business objectives.
• Use sound experimental methodology, statistics/modeling, and scale-up methodologies to drive results.
• Execute technical projects with medium to high complexity which could include new process and/or product development, foundational learning, process improvement, and technical problem solving.
• Lead collaboration and leverage relationships with cross-functional R&D and non-R&D teams, including Product Development, Food Chemistry, Manufacturing, Project Engineers, Marketing, Sales, Quality, Operations, and external parties on moderately complex projects and initiatives.

Requirements

• Demonstrated people leadership skills.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and influence team members and cross-functional partners through both formal and informal authority.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, ability to clearly communicate scientific and engineering concepts to non-technical stakeholders and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Experience translating bench, pilot, and plant trial development into early design concepts.
• Experience and education: BS degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or other related engineering discipline - required; Graduate Degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) or P.E. certification - preferred; 10 or more years of experience - including a deep understanding of dairy chemistry and dairy processing techniques and unit operations, strong project management, statistical design, process analytics, and modeling and translating bench, pilot, and plant trial development into early design concepts - required; 3 or more years of management experience - required; Proven track record of leading successful R&D research and process development projects and driving technical innovation in the food industry - required.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or other related engineering discipline - required.
• Graduate Degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) or P.E. certification - preferred.
• 10 or more years of experience - including a deep understanding of dairy chemistry and dairy processing techniques and unit operations, strong project management, statistical design, process analytics, and modeling and translating bench, pilot, and plant trial development into early design concepts - required.
• 3 or more years of management experience - required.
• Proven track record of leading successful R&D research and process development projects and driving technical innovation in the food industry - required.
• Experience working in Dairy manufacturing and pilot plant environments - preferred.

Skills

• Deep understanding of engineering principles (mass & energy balances, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics).
• Statistical design, process analytics, and modeling.
• Technical problem-solving skills, using engineering fundamentals, statistical design, and modeling to inform approaches and enable innovation, strengthen technical capability, and support business growth.

Benefits

Land O'Lakes and its global entities support diversity in employment practices. Neither Land O'Lakes, nor its affiliates or 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.

Pay

$123,920 - $185,880 (in most cases, candidates offered employment can expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges)

Schedule

Ability to travel 10-25% of time