R&D Natural Cheese Manager

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

Job summary

Land O’Lakes is seeking a senior R&D Natural Cheese Manager to lead a talented team at our Arden Hills Corporate Office. This hybrid role blends office collaboration (T/W/Th) with remote work (Mon/Fri) to advance cheese platforms across Retail and B2B sectors.

You’ll drive technical vision, mentor scientists, and partner with plants to translate dairy science into business value. The ideal candidate has 8+ years in dairy R&D, strong leadership, and a track record in plant-scale collaboration,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science, Food Science, Chemical/Biological Engineering or related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of progressive technical experience in dairy, with emphasis on natural cheese.
• Minimum 3+ years of direct people management experience.
• Extensive experience collaborating with manufacturing plants and quality teams.
• Proven ability to align technical priorities with business objectives across functions.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of scientists, fostering curiosity and accountability.
• Provide technical mentorship in experimental design, data-driven decision making, and risk assessment.
• Clarify ownership and partnership models across functions while driving collaboration.
• Champion use of manufacturing data, analytics, and AI to accelerate root-cause analysis and yield improvements.
• Guide formulation and process refinements to improve product consistency, functionality, and flavor.
• Drive resource optimization and cross-functional alignment to meet business objectives.

Skills

People leadership

Cross-functional influence

Plant fluency

Data-driven decision making

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science, Food Science, Chemical/Biological Engineering

Master’s or Ph.D. in Dairy Science or related field

Tools

Statistical methods (SPC)

DOE

Advanced data analytics/AI tools

Job description

R&D Natural Cheese Manager

This role is located at our Corporate Office in Arden Hills, MN. We offer a hybrid work environment that consists of 3 days in the office (T/W/Th) and 2 days remote/virtual (M/F). This role does not offer full remote/virtual.

Position Overview

The Natural Cheese R&D Product Development Manager serves as a technical thought leader driving business goals and R&D foundational vision across Retail and B2B natural cheese platforms. By bridging technical research with plant reality and commercial priorities, you will leverage your cheese and industry expertise to guide the team, challenge assumptions, and mentor developing scientists. In this role, you will advance a multi-year technical vision—building deep platform knowledge, advancing core and new products, and partnering cross-functionally to drive long‑term stability and data‑driven innovative solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Team Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness

• Lead, coach, and develop a high‑performing team of scientists, fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.

• Serve as a technical mentor, strengthening capability in technical learning, experimental design, critical thinking, risk assessment, and data‑driven decision making.

• Provide clear direction, candid feedback, and development support while empowering scientists to own execution and outcomes.

• Promote focus, prioritization, timely decision making, and constructive technical debate.

Natural Cheese Technical Leadership

• Provide deep expertise across the complete cheesemaking lifecycle, from milk standardization and culture/enzyme systems to aging and functionality.

• Deepen organizational knowledge of the chemical, physical, and microbial drivers of core products.

• Guide formulation and process refinements to improve product consistency, functionality, and flavor.

Operational Partnership & Technical Enablement

• Build trust‑based, collaborative relationships across the manufacturing network—partnering closely with plant managers, quality, engineering, process technology, and operations teams.

• Clarify ownership, accountability, and partnership models across functions.

• Champion the use of manufacturing data, advanced analytics, and AI tools to accelerate root‑cause analysis, drive yield and cost optimizations, and transition the team from reactive troubleshooting to proactive process control.

• Support implementation of new technologies and manufacturing capabilities.

Business and Portfolio Leadership

offs and actionable recommendations.

• Drive effective use of resources across technical functions.

• Align technical priorities with business objectives.

• Translate complex dairy science and manufacturing realities into clear business trade‑offs and actionable recommendations.

• Drive effective use of resources across technical functions.

Required Experience & Capabilities

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

• Technical Experience: 8+ years of progressive technical experience in dairy, with an emphasis on natural cheese.

• People Leadership: Minimum 3+ years of direct people management experience with a proven track record of coaching, developing talent, and building high‑trust team cultures.

• Plant Fluency: Extensive experience collaborating with commercial manufacturing plants, scale‑up environments, and plant quality teams.

• Cross‑Functional Influence: Proven track record of building alignment across diverse stakeholders, navigating technical and operational trade‑offs, and driving results through collaboration.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced Degree: Master’s or Ph.D. in Dairy Science, Food Science, or Fermentation/Bioprocess Engineering.

• Specific Platform Mastery: Direct technical experience with cheddar (block & barrel), whey separation, and membrane filtration technologies.

• Digital & Analytical Acumen: Experience applying statistical process control (SPC), design of experiments (DOE), advanced data analytics, or AI‑assisted modeling.

• Continuous Improvement: Formal training in Lean, Six Sigma, or structured Root Cause Analysis methodologies.

The salary range for this role is $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.

Land O’Lakes does not use Automated Decision‑Making Technology, as defined by California law, to substantially replace human decision‑making or make significant decisions about applications for employment or contracting opportunities.

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.

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.