Process Engineer

Kerry; Vesper (WI); On-site; USD 88,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental coverage

Vision

Paid time off

401(k) with employer matching

Employee Share Plan

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Accident insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Kerry is a leading taste and nutrition company seeking a Process Engineer to own spray dryer performance across two large units, driving throughput, yield, and quality while standardizing process standards across sites.

You will partner with Operations, Engineering, CI, Quality, and R&D to translate process understanding into repeatable, scalable manufacturing excellence and lead continuous improvement across the network.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of spray drying unit operations (atomization, drying kinetics, cyclone separation, etc.)
• Strong knowledge of process control systems and data analysis tools.
• Proven experience in process optimization and scale-up.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end performance of spray dryers, including capacity, yield, uptime, and cost.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on yield, loss reduction, throughput, and energy efficiency.
• Establish process capability baselines and drive performance improvements against benchmarks.
• Identify and eliminate process variability through data-driven root cause analysis.
• Ensure alignment of recipes, control strategies, operating windows, and critical process parameters.
• Standardize and optimize startup, shutdown, and cleaning procedures.
• Partner with other sites to share best practices and align performance standards.
• Own the governance of process changes to ensure compliance and sustainability.
• Provide technical guidance on spray drying processes, including particle size, agglomeration, and equipment configuration.
• Serve as the SME for spray drying technology at the site and across the network.

Skills

Spray drying ops

Process control

Data analysis

Scale-up experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical/Mechanical/Electrical/Manufacturing Engineering, Food Science, Business

Tools

Lean manufacturing

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

The Process Engineer is the single-point technical owner for the performance, optimization, and standardization of two of the largest spray dryers within the Kerry network. This role is accountable for maximizing throughput, yield, and quality while driving consistency of process standards across sites. This role serves as the SME for spray drying technology within the site and the broader spray drying network.

The position partners closely with Operations, Engineering, CI, Quality, and R&D to translate process understanding into repeatable, scalable manufacturing excellence.

Key responsibilities

• Own end-to-end performance of spray dryers, including capacity, yield, uptime, and cost.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on yield, loss reduction, throughput, and energy efficiency.
• Establish process capability baselines and drive performance improvements against benchmarks.
• Identify and eliminate process variability through data-driven root cause analysis.
• Ensure alignment of recipes, control strategies, operating windows, and critical process parameters.
• Standardize and optimize startup, shutdown, and cleaning procedures.
• Partner with other sites to share best practices and align performance standards.
• Own the governance of process changes to ensure compliance and sustainability.
• Provide technical guidance on spray drying processes, including particle size, agglomeration, and equipment configuration.
• Serve as the SME for spray drying technology at the site and across the network.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Other duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications and skills

• Deep understanding of spray drying unit operations (atomization, drying kinetics, cyclone separation, etc.)
• Strong knowledge of process control systems and data analysis tools.
• Proven experience in process optimization and scale-up.

Education/Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Food Science, Business, or a related field.
• 5+ years in spray drying, powder processing, or related thermal processing.
• Experience in large-scale manufacturing environments preferred.

Experience

• 5 Years Experience in food, chemical or fermentation industry, preferred.
• Continuous improvement understanding.
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing methodology.

Compensation Data

The pay range for this position is $88,100 - $144,800 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, and internal equity. In addition, this position is also eligible to earn a performance-based incentive compensation. Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement. This job posting is anticipated to expire on October 15th, 2026.

We may use artificial intelligence tools to support the review and assessment of applications and assist with scheduling interviews. We do not use AI to make decisions during the interview process. All candidate assessments and hiring decisions are made by our recruitment and leadership teams.

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).