Scientist II

Headquartered in Lakeville, Minn., Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, Inc., is dedicated to providing people and their pets with delicious food choices for every taste and budget. The company's portfolio includes beloved brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats™, PEBBLES™, Grape-Nuts™, Malt-O-Meal™ cereal, Peter Pan™ peanut butter, Rachael Ray® Nutrish™, Kibbles 'n Bits™, and 9Lives™ pet food, as well as private label solutions in pet food, cereal, nut butters, and granola.

About the role

Join Post Consumer Brands and help shape the future of some of America's most iconic cereal brands, including Malt-O-Meal®, Honey Bunches of Oats®, and PEBBLES™. Based in Northfield, Minnesota, this role supports operations at both the Campbell Mill and Ames Mill, facilities that produce more than 45 cereal varieties. As a Food Scientist II, you will serve as the plant's frontline technical expert, driving product quality, manufacturing excellence, food safety, process optimization, and innovation commercialization. This is an opportunity to partner closely with Operations, Quality, Engineering, R&D, and Supply Chain teams while making a measurable impact on plant performance and consumer satisfaction.

The Food Scientist II is responsible for sustaining and improving ingredient and product performance while supporting key plant objectives related to safety, quality, yield, throughput, productivity, and manufacturing efficiency. This role serves as the technical lead for product and process improvements, commercialization activities, and continuous improvement initiatives while ensuring compliance with food safety and quality standards.

Relocation assistance available. Minimal travel required. Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship now or in the future.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the frontline technical resource for ingredient functionality, product performance, and manufacturing processes.
• Provide technical support, validation, and troubleshooting for new formulas, ingredients, equipment, and process implementations.
• Drive improvements in product quality, consistency, and finished product identity.
• Support daily manufacturing operations to achieve targets for safety, quality, yield, rates, and efficiency.
• Validate process and product parameter changes related to equipment, formulations, and processing conditions.
• Analyze manufacturing data and identify opportunities for optimization and performance improvement.
• Act as the plant representative and technical consultant for product and process changes.
• Coordinate plant-level commercialization activities for product renovations, formula changes, and new product launches.
• Support corporate cost-savings initiatives and operational excellence projects.
• Identify and lead ingredient, formula, and process improvements that reduce costs and improve efficiency.
• Apply Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement principles to drive plant performance.
• Generate, update, and maintain production work instructions and process documentation.
• Support, implement, and maintain food safety programs and quality systems in compliance with SQF requirements.
• Champion food safety culture initiatives throughout the facility.
• Partner with Quality and Operations teams to sustain compliance and drive continuous improvement.
• Lead investigations and root cause analysis to address product and process issues.
• Serve as a subject matter expert on ingredient functionality, cereal manufacturing processes, and product characteristics.
• Train, mentor, and coach operators and technical team members.
• Participate in and lead cross-functional teams focused on solving complex manufacturing challenges.
• Influence stakeholders and drive consensus across multiple departments.
• Identify and share best practices across manufacturing locations.
• Support plant safety initiatives and advise on process safety opportunities.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 2 to 5 years of CPG experience in food manufacturing, product development, process engineering, process development, quality assurance, or a related technical manufacturing environment.

Qualifications

• Experience within the food, cereal, consumer packaged goods (CPG), or related manufacturing industries.
• Experience supporting commercialization, process optimization, and plant operations.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to influence, mentor, and achieve results through others.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Experience facilitating and leading cross-functional teams.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
• Passion for food safety and maintaining a safe, respectful workplace.
• Strong change management and collaboration capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Results-oriented mindset focused on operational excellence and continuous improvement.
• Sound business judgment and decision-making skills.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively at all levels of the organization.

Benefits

At Post Consumer Brands, we're dedicated to making delicious food accessible for all. Our Northfield operations play a critical role in producing some of America's most trusted cereal brands while fostering a culture of safety, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Pay

$72,498 - $101,497 per year.