Head of Dairy Formulation & Innovation

dfa; Rochester (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

DFA seeks a senior formulation leader to drive development across dairy beverages and related platforms, translating briefs into scalable formulations and ensuring scale-up readiness.

You will lead a team, manage pilot processes, optimize costs, protect IP, and collaborate across functions to deliver speed-to-market and ROI.

This role emphasizes innovation, quality, and regulatory alignment with a strong emphasis on market-driven results.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level degree required in a related science.
• Master’s degree or Ph.D. desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead formulation development from concept to pilot plant readiness.
• Translate briefs into executable formulation plans with clear criteria and timelines.
• Own ingredient selection, benchtop development, prototyping, and validation.
• Use sensory science and analytical data to meet taste, nutrition, and shelf-life targets.
• Define processing conditions and scale-up requirements for repeatable manufacturing.

Skills

Formulation science

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Sensory analysis

Cost optimization

Project management

Education

B.S. in Food Science, Dairy Science, Biological Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering

M.S. or Ph.D. desirable

Tools

CRM/Salesforce

Data analysis tools

Job description

DFA seeks a senior formulation leader to drive development across dairy beverages and related platforms, translating briefs into scalable formulations and ensuring scale-up readiness.

You will lead a team, manage pilot processes, optimize costs, protect IP, and collaborate across functions to deliver speed-to-market and ROI.

This role emphasizes innovation, quality, and regulatory alignment with a strong emphasis on market-driven results.