Director- Process Technology Engineering

Kerry; Kentucky; On-site; USD 195,300 - 321,800; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Incentive and recognition programs

Equity stock purchase plan

Retirement contribution

Job summary

Kerry is seeking a Director Process Technology Engineering - Wet Process to lead the regional evaluation of opportunities, drive capacity development and deployment of new technologies while coordinating with cross-regional teams.

The role requires directing RD&A and Engineering to optimize recipes, process parameters and platforming, delivering a unified roadmap from current to future state across global sites.

Qualifications

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree in a Food or technical field (or equivalent experience).
• 8-10+ years in an RD&A role.
• Extensive experience in the food & beverage industry with Process Technology specialization (Wet Processing) and team management at regional/global levels in a matrixed organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead regional analysis and evaluation of processes, data and KPIs to identify savings and improvements.
• Develop an integrated Process Technology roadmap linking RD&A and engineering to future state.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams regionally and globally to prioritize opportunities and deliver results.

Job description

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the role

In supporting our integrated Regional Process Technology (PT) strategy, the Director Process Technology Engineering - Wet Process, will play a key role in leading the evaluation of new opportunities such as capacity investment, new technology development, changes and upgrades to existing technologies, and identifying opportunities within the PT area on existing technologies. The incumbent will take a global view in collaboration with an extended cross-regional and cross-functional team. The role holder will also be accountable for working within region cross-functionally with link to Global to ensure that clearly defined action plans are validated, set in place and executed against identified opportunities.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the Regional analysis and evaluation of processes, ways of working, system data and KPIs to identify saving and improvement opportunities and support practical evaluation and implementation of those opportunities.
• Play a lead role in the differentiation and prioritization of performance improvement opportunities through our Process Technology pipeline & regional strategic initiatives, leveraging a broad range of Process Technology related RD&A & Operational/Engineering expertise, ensuring that RD&A & Engineering considerations are clearly set alongside proposed design constructs and/or change proposals.
• Lead capacity analysis and investment in additional capacity to meet customer demand. Liaise with OEMs, suppliers, IO – Operations and Engineering, and RD&A on equipment, process, and controls, to deliver highest quality products, highest throughput, and lowest waste.
• Identification of new processing technologies and equipment via TPM networks or equipment suppliers.
• Adoption and deployment of agreed new innovative technologies; prioritization of additional scenarios informed by strategic technology assessment, platforming, site by site improvements etc.
• Utilize and knowledge share across all RD&A/Engineering functions to ensure an end-to-end view of attributes & value levers within Process Technology scope with a specific focus on Gold Standard Recipe Formulation & Optimization of Process Parameters.
• Sizing the value, complexity, feasibility and resource requirements of opportunities and assigning work streams and milestones to team members. Escalating roadblocks, resource issues or delays to in order to resolve issues.
• Ownership and development of an integrated roadmap by Process Technology combining all improvement levers to get from current to future state.
• Support third party infrastructure through utilizing knowledge of key RD&A providers and other key third parties/SMEs
• Work with RDA & Engineering leadership to assess need and subsequently prioritize functional resource and time in delivering opportunities; work with relevant leaders to allocate specific responsibility across the various teams & provide high level direction in collaboration with extended site/business teams
• Working with our cross-enterprise partners e.g. Manufacturing and Engineering in delivering a shared program of work – leading a process excellence agenda, aligned and informed by our EUM strategies across the region
• Lead the development of business case inputs for review by regional sponsor group (including CTO & COO leadership)
• Waste Stream Analysis and Value creation/Cost mitigation initiatives across current regional production facilities, coordinating with a cross-functional team to deliver against agreed timelines and deliverables.
• Platforming and product/ formulation complexity - end to end production process mapping and optimization starting with priority technologies; top down full opportunity assessment and improvements for process technology – understanding value chains for each family allowing for analysis on platforming opportunities both in processes and recipes.
• Updating project management tools and implementing systems for project management and reporting purposes. Follow up with assigned actions and reporting next steps to team leads. Creation of reports and presentations to present progress to global team and other groups as required.

Qualifications and skills

Minimum Bachelor’s degree in a Food or technical field (or equivalent experience); Master\'s degree preferred

8-10+ years in an RD&A role

Extensive experience and knowledge of the food and beverage industry, and deep exposure to Process Technology specialism (Wet Processing) Team Management experience working at a regional or global level within a matrixed organization

Your personal characteristics include:

• Strategic thinking
• Passion for consumers and consumer behavior
• Strong change agent, innovative, curious, agile and outward looking
• Positive, can-do attitude with strong action orientation

The typical base salary hiring range for this role is $195,300 to $321,800 annually and is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, location, etc. In addition to your pay, Kerry offers benefits such as a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and retirement contribution (all benefits and incentives are subject to eligibility requirements).

Kerry is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. Kerry will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen. Additional information can be found at: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (dol.gov).