Director Process Technology

Agropur; Minnesota; On-site; USD 154,000 - 231,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

Life insurance

Short and long-term disability

401(k) with company contributions

3 weeks paid time off

Paid holidays and floating holidays

Paid parental leave

Advancement opportunities

Job summary

Agropur seeks a Director, Process Technology at the Protein Research Center in Le Sueur, Minnesota. You will define and drive the technology strategy for our dairy ingredient portfolio, leading a distributed team across R&D, technology transfer and process optimization.

You will collaborate with Commercial Strategy, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Sales and Finance to translate priorities into scalable processes and stronger manufacturing capabilities. Travel ~30% is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, dairy science, chemical engineering or related field.
• 10+ years in process technology, manufacturing or R&D in dairy ingredients or related field.
• Deep knowledge of dairy ingredient manufacturing, process design and scale-up.
• Experience with membrane separation, ion exchange, protein fractionation, evaporation, drying, crystallization, lactose processing.
• Proven success leading complex product/process commercialization across multiple sites.
• Strong executive communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Willingness to travel ~30%.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute the process technology roadmap supporting Agropur’s ingredient portfolio and long-term business priorities.
• Advise senior leaders on technical feasibility, capital requirements, resources and risk.
• Lead evaluation, development, scale-up, commercialization and transfer of new dairy ingredient products and processes.
• Serve as technical authority in dairy ingredient processing including membrane separation, ion exchange, protein fractionation, evaporation, drying, crystallization and lactose processing.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering and Quality to improve process control, product quality, yield, throughput and economics.
• Lead resolution of complex manufacturing and product-quality challenges across facilities.
• Establish standards and governance for process development, scale-up, technology transfer, documentation and optimization.
• Build strategic partnerships with customers, universities, suppliers and industry orgs.
• Lead and develop a geographically distributed technical team and strengthen dairy-processing expertise.

Skills

Process technology leadership

Manufacturing engineering

Applied R&D

Dairy ingredients expertise

Scale-up & tech transfer

Cross-functional leadership

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in food science, dairy science, chemical engineering or related

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

Job Type

Regular

People are at the heart of our success. Our culture encourages collaboration, transparency, and accountability in order to generate value and achieve sustainable results. Being part of the team means committing to an environment where everyone’s impact truly matters.

Working at Agropur means contributing to stronger communities through dairy products.

An Environment Aligned With a Clear Purpose

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Short and Long-term Disability Insurance
• 401(k) with 7% company contributions
• 3 weeks Paid Time Off
• Paid holidays and 2 floating holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Advancement Opportunities
• Salary range 008: $153,700-$230,500 (Salary will be determined based on skills, education, training & experience related to the position)

How You Will Contribute

As Director, Process Technology, you will define and advance the technology strategy supporting Agropur’s dairy ingredient portfolio and manufacturing network.

Based at our Protein Research Center in Le Sueur, Minnesota, you will lead a geographically distributed organization of Process Technology, Applied R&D and Whey Technology professionals. In partnership with Commercial Strategy, Operations, Engineering, Quality, Sales and Finance, you will convert portfolio priorities, customer needs and emerging technologies into scalable processes, stronger manufacturing capabilities and sustainable enterprise value.

• Define and execute the process technology roadmap supporting Agropur’s ingredient portfolio and long-term business priorities.
• Advise senior leaders on technical feasibility, value potential, capital requirements, resource needs and execution risk.
• Lead the evaluation, development, scale-up, commercialization and transfer of new dairy ingredient products, processes and technologies.
• Serve as a senior technical authority in dairy ingredient processing, including membrane separation, ion exchange, protein fractionation, evaporation, drying, crystallization, lactose processing and related unit operations.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering and Quality to improve process control, product quality, yield, throughput, reliability, sustainability and manufacturing economics.
• Lead the resolution of complex manufacturing and product-quality challenges across multiple facilities.
• Establish standards and governance for process development, scale-up, technology transfer, documentation and process optimization.
• Build strategic partnerships with customers, universities, suppliers, technology providers and industry organizations.
• Lead and develop a geographically distributed technical team while strengthening organizational capability, succession depth and critical dairy-processing expertise.

What Will Enable You To Contribute

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, Dairy Science, Chemical Engineering or a related technical discipline; Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in process technology, manufacturing, engineering, product development or applied R&D within dairy ingredients, whey processing, dairy proteins or a closely related ingredient-processing environment.
• Deep knowledge of dairy ingredient manufacturing, process design, scale-up, technology transfer and manufacturing optimization.
• Demonstrated expertise in several relevant technologies, including membrane separation, ion exchange, protein fractionation, evaporation, drying, crystallization or lactose processing.
• Proven success leading complex products or processes from technical evaluation through commercialization and stable full-scale operation.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and cross-functional programs across multiple manufacturing sites.
• The ability to evaluate opportunities through technical, operational, financial, quality, sustainability and strategic perspectives.
• Strong executive communication and influencing skills, with the ability to translate complex technical issues into clear business recommendations.
• Demonstrated success developing specialized technical talent and building high-performing, geographically distributed teams.
• Ability to travel approximately 30%.

Agropur welcomes people from all backgrounds and origins. We are proud to be an employer with a diverse community and are committed to providing a respectful and inclusive experience for all employees and applicants. We will work with candidates who request accommodation. Please note that an adequate knowledge of French is required for positions in Quebec.

Agropur uses artificial intelligence technology to assist our recruiters in screening, assessing, or selecting applicants for this position.

In this text, the use of the masculine gender to designate persons is intended only to lighten the text.