Director, Dairy Formulation & Innovation

Dairy Farmers of America, Inc.; Springfield (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. seeks a senior leader in formulation to drive development from concept to commercialization for dairy beverages, sauces, cheeses, and related platforms.

You will translate briefs into actionable plans, oversee bench-to-plant development, and lead a team to optimize formulas, costs, and performance. The role emphasizes speed-to-market, cost-out opportunities, IP development, and cross-functional leadership with operations, regulatory, and commercial teams.

Qualifications

• B.S. degree in Food Science is required; advanced degrees desirable.
• Demonstrated leadership in formulation-driven development from concept to commercialization.
• Willingness to travel 50-75% to support plant trials and customer engagements.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation development from concept through pilot plant readiness across dairy platforms.
• Translate customer briefs into executable formulation plans with criteria, timelines, risks, and decisions.
• Own ingredient selection, benchtop development, iterative prototyping, and cost targets.
• Use sensory data and analytical results to ensure taste, functionality, nutrition, and shelf-life.
• Drive documentation, formula version control, and commercialization readiness inputs.
• Provide process design/validation support for scale-up and manufacturing readiness.

Skills

Formulation leadership

Dairy formulation

Sensory optimization

Project management

Education

BS in Food Science

MS/PhD desirable

Tools

CRM/Salesforce

Job description

Dairy Farmers of America, Inc. seeks a senior leader in formulation to drive development from concept to commercialization for dairy beverages, sauces, cheeses, and related platforms.

You will translate briefs into actionable plans, oversee bench-to-plant development, and lead a team to optimize formulas, costs, and performance. The role emphasizes speed-to-market, cost-out opportunities, IP development, and cross-functional leadership with operations, regulatory, and commercial teams.