Senior Engineer, H&B Yeast Manufacturing

IFF; Cedar Rapids (IA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

IFF in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is seeking a Manufacturing Technology professional to advance yeast production and related processes within Health & Biosciences.

You will collaborate with global teams, drive process improvements, and support new product introductions across sites and contract manufacturers, contributing to cost efficiency and scalable capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related technical field.
• Minimum of five years in industrial/biochemical/biotechnology manufacturing.
• Experience with yeast processing or fermentation preferred.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to senior leaders.
• Strong project management across multiple stakeholders.
• Financial and business acumen for cost analysis and ROI.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical support, troubleshooting, and proactive problem solving for Health & Biosciences manufacturing processes, with an initial focus on yeast.
• Benchmark, assess, and optimize capability and performance of internal and external manufacturing processes.
• Conduct holistic assessments of yeast manufacturing capabilities, including technical performance, quality, compliance, and product cost.
• Support new product and technology introductions across internal manufacturing sites and external contract manufacturing partners.
• Partner with global teams, including R&D, manufacturing, quality, and operations, to strengthen yeast manufacturing performance.
• Monitor and report on process performance, product cost, and operational efficiency across Health & Biosciences manufacturing plants.
• Provide techno-economic analysis for manufacturing improvements, including capital expenditure projects, commercialization, and debottlenecking initiatives.
• Contribute to major initiatives and strategies as part of the global Health & Biosciences Manufacturing Technology community.
• Support process commercialization programs and front-end loading activities for capital expansion, growth, and improvement projects.

Skills

Decision-making

Prioritization

Strategic thinking

Communication

Financial acumen

Cross-site collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Chemical Engineering or related field

Job description

Job Summary

Are you passionate about innovation that transforms everyday products into extraordinary experiences? IFF is a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, and Health & Biosciences, delivering sustainable innovations that elevate everyday products. Our Health & Biosciences team channels a passion for nature and bioscience into sustainable, life-enhancing technologies that power innovative solutions across healthcare, food, consumer, and industrial markets. This role is based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As part of the Health & Biosciences Manufacturing Technology team, you will support yeast manufacturing operations by improving technology performance, process efficiency, cost effectiveness, and continuous improvement across both local and global manufacturing priorities.

Where You’ll Make a Difference

• Provide technical support, troubleshooting, and proactive problem-solving for Health & Biosciences manufacturing processes, with an initial focus on yeast manufacturing.
• Benchmark, assess, and optimize the capability and performance of internal and external manufacturing processes.
• Conduct holistic assessments of internal yeast manufacturing capabilities, including technical performance, quality, compliance, and product cost.
• Support new product and technology introductions across internal manufacturing sites and external contract manufacturing partners.
• Partner with global teams, including Research & Development, manufacturing, quality, and operations, to strengthen yeast manufacturing performance.
• Monitor and report on process performance, product cost, and operational efficiency across Health & Biosciences manufacturing plants.
• Provide techno-economic analysis for manufacturing improvements, including capital expenditure projects, commercialization, and debottlenecking initiatives.
• Contribute to major initiatives and strategies as part of the global Health & Biosciences Manufacturing Technology community.
• Support process commercialization programs and front-end loading activities for capital expansion, growth, and improvement projects.

What Makes You the Right Fit

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Chemical Engineering or a related technical field.
• Minimum of five years of experience in industrial, biochemical, or biotechnology manufacturing environments.
• Experience in yeast processing, fermentation, downstream processing, liquid formulation, or solid formulation.
• Knowledge of industrial biotechnology process technology, ideally with a focus on yeast manufacturing.
• Project management experience, including the ability to support complex technical initiatives across multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across sites, functions, regions, and business teams.
• Strong decision-making, prioritization, and strategic thinking skills.
• Ability to communicate technical information clearly and confidently, including with senior leaders.
• Financial and business acumen, including experience with project justification, cost analysis, or manufacturing improvement cases.

How Would You Stand Out?

• Experience supporting capital expansion, debottlenecking, or manufacturing improvement projects in a biotechnology or fermentation environment.
• Exposure to external contract manufacturing or global manufacturing networks.
• Ability to bring a continuous improvement mindset while building strong relationships across technical and operational teams.

Why Choose Us?

• Opportunity to directly influence yeast manufacturing strategy and capability within a global Health & Biosciences organization.
• Work on meaningful technical projects that support process performance, efficiency, commercialization, and long-term business growth.
• Collaborate with global colleagues across Manufacturing Technology, Research & Development, operations, quality, and business teams.
• Be part of a motivated, passionate, and open-minded team where your work can make a real impact.

We are a global leader in taste, scent, and nutrition, offering our customers a broader range of natural solutions and accelerating our growth strategy. At IFF, we believe that your uniqueness unleashes our potential. We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status. We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

We value the diverse mosaic of the ethnicity, national origin, race, age, sex, or veteran status.

We strive for an inclusive workplace that allows each of our colleagues to bring their authentic self to work regardless of their religion, gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, or disability.

Visit IFF.com/careers/workplace-diversity-and-inclusion to learn more