R&D Manager

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

Job summary

Land O’Lakes is seeking a Sr. Manager of Process Technology R&D to lead scale-up and new process development for the Dairy Foods organization. This working-manager role combines mentoring with project leadership, guiding bench-to-plant initiatives and driving technical innovation.

The role emphasizes applying engineering fundamentals, statistics, and modeling to solve complex problems, while coordinating with cross-functional teams to enable business growth.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience with deep dairy chemistry and dairy processing techniques and unit operations
• 3+ years of management experience
• Proven track record leading R&D and process development projects
• Strong project management, statistical design, and process analytics skills
• Ability to translate bench, pilot, and plant trials into early design concepts

Responsibilities

• Lead as a people leader (~20%) and technical leader (~80%).
• Manage scale-up from bench/pilot to commercial scale with design direction for new or improved products.
• Mentor and train team members and drive performance across cross-functional groups.
• Execute technically complex projects in new process/product development and process improvement.
• Apply engineering principles (mass & energy balances, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics) to scale-up and design improvements.
• Collaborate with Product Development, Manufacturing, QA, Marketing, and external partners on projects.

Skills

People leadership

Mentoring

Dairy unit operations

Dairy chemistry

Project management

Communication

Statistical design

Process analytics

Modeling

Travel 10-25%

Education

BS in Chemical/Mechanical Eng

MS/PhD or PE

Job description

R&D Manager

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Sr. Manager of Process Technology R&D to lead efforts around new process development. This individual will serve as a technical leader in Process Technology for the Dairy Foods organization, having responsibilities that span mentoring and directly managing individuals. This is a working-manager role, with approximately 20% of responsibilities focused on people management and 80% focused on leading projects and initiatives. The individual will lead projects focused on scale-up, foundational research, technical problem solving, and process technology innovation. The ideal candidate will have strong technical problem‑solving skills, using engineering fundamentals, statistical design, and modeling to inform approaches and enable innovation, strengthen technical capability, and support business growth.

Job Description

• Serve as both a people leader with direct people leadership responsibilities (~20% of time) and a technical leader (~80% of time)
• Lead and coordinate project activities related to scale-up from bench/and or pilot plant to commercial scale. Define process design for new, improved, or revised products and processes and support implementation of commercial designs. Evaluate project progress and leadteam members towards the achievement of tactical project/businessobjectives.Use sound experimentalmethodology, statistics/modeling, and scale-up methodologies to drive results.
• Serve as a technical leader, mentoring and training other team members, with both indirect (mentoring) and direct (management) responsibilities.
• Execute technical projects with medium to high complexity which could include new process and/or product development, foundational learning, process improvement, and technical problem solving.
• Apply deep understanding of engineering principles (mass & energy balances, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics) to inform scale-up, process design, and process improvement/troubleshooting and coach others to do the same.
• Lead collaboration and leverage relationships with cross-functional R&D and non-R&D teams, including Product Development, Food Chemistry, Manufacturing, Project Engineers, Marketing, Sales, Quality, Operations, and external parties on moderately complex projects and initiatives.

Skills and Competencies

• Demonstrated people leadership skills.
• Ability to coach, mentor, and influence team members and cross-functional partners through both formal and informal authority
• Demonstrated experience with key dairy unit operations, with a high preference for an individual with membrane filtration and/or spray drying experience; expertise in other unit operations will be considered
• Deep understanding of dairy chemistry and dairy processing techniques and unit operations is required.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, ability to clearly communicate scientific and engineering concepts to non-technical stakeholders and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to applystatistical design, process analytics, and modeling.
• Experience translating bench, pilot, and plant trial development into early design concepts.

Experience and Education

• BS degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or other related engineering discipline - required
• Graduate Degree(M.S. or Ph.D.)or P.E. certification - preferred
• 10 or more years of experience - including a deep understanding of dairy chemistry and dairy processing techniques and unit operations, strong project management, statistical design, process analytics, and modeling and translating bench, pilot, and plant trial development into early design concepts - required
• 3 or more years of management experience - required
• Proventrack recordof leading successful R&Dresearch and process developmentprojects and driving technical innovation in the food industry - required
• BS degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or other related engineering discipline - required
• Graduate Degree(M.S. or Ph.D.)or P.E. certification - preferred
• 10 or more years of experience - including a deep understanding of dairy chemistry and dairy processing techniques and unit operations, strong project management, statistical design, process analytics, and modeling and translating bench, pilot, and plant trial development into early design concepts - required
• 3 or more years of management experience - required
• Proventrack recordof leading successful R&Dresearch and process developmentprojects and driving technical innovation in the food industry - required
• Ability to travel 10-25% of time
• Experience working in Dairy manufacturing and pilot plant environments - preferred

Salary range

$123,920 - $185,880 (in most cases, candidates offered employment can expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges)

About Land O’Lakes, Inc.

Join us and be part of a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. We have been named a Top Workplace by Indeed and LinkedIn, and to the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list.

We provide a broad portfolio of benefits to keep you and your family at your best. Land O’Lakes is Where Your Future Takes Root.

Land O’Lakes and our global entities support diversity in employment practices.

Neither Land O’Lakes, nor its affiliates or search firms, will ever contact you and ask for confidential information over the phone or in email. If you receive a call or email like this, please do not provide the information being requested.

If you need to submit a reasonable accommodation request to complete the employment application process, please call the HR Solution Center at 844-LOL-HR4U (844-565-4748) M-F 8:00am-4:30pm CT.