Natural Cheese R&D Lead — Innovation & Team Growth

Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Arden Hills (MN); On-site; USD 124,000 - 186,000; Full time

Job summary

Land O'Lakes, Inc. seeks an R&D Natural Cheese Manager for its Arden Hills, MN corporate office. This in-office role will lead a scientists' team, drive a multi-year cheese platform vision, and align technical work with business objectives across Retail and B2B cheese platforms.

You will bridge dairy science with commercial priorities, mentor researchers, and collaborate with manufacturing, quality, and process technology to deliver stable, flavorful cheeses and innovative processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in a related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of progressive technical experience in dairy.
• 3+ years of direct people management experience.
• Experience collaborating with manufacturing plants and quality teams.
• Advanced degree preferred: Master’s or PhD.
• Experience with SPC/DOE or AI-based modeling is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of scientists with a culture of curiosity and accountability.
• Provide deep cheese-process expertise across the cheesemaking lifecycle to improve product consistency and flavor.
• Partner with plant managers, quality, engineering, and operations to enable data-driven root-cause analysis and process improvements.
• Translate technical priorities into clear business trade-offs and actionable recommendations across functions.

Skills

People Leadership

Cross-Functional Influence

Cheese Process

Data Analytics

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science, Food Science, Chemical/Biological Engineering, or a related technical discipline

Job description

Land O'Lakes, Inc. seeks an R&D Natural Cheese Manager for its Arden Hills, MN corporate office. This in-office role will lead a scientists' team, drive a multi-year cheese platform vision, and align technical work with business objectives across Retail and B2B cheese platforms.

You will bridge dairy science with commercial priorities, mentor researchers, and collaborate with manufacturing, quality, and process technology to deliver stable, flavorful cheeses and innovative processes.