Senior Process Engineer – Food Innovation & Scale-Up

Conagra Brands; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 82,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Stock purchase plan

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off

Parental leave

Flexible work schedules

Volunteer opportunities

Foodies Welcome.

Job summary

Conagra Brands seeks a process development leader to own critical development efforts from concept to commercialization in a manufacturing setting. You will drive innovation, design experiments, and translate insights into scalable processes for priority brands and facilities.

You will lead cross-functional teams, develop cost estimates for pilots and commercial scales, and maintain rigorous documentation. Exceptional communication and problem-solving are essential for success in this role.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline preferred.
• Knowledge of unit operations, processing equipment, and process scale-up principles.
• Experience applying project management practices and collaborating across cross-functional teams.
• Strategic mindset with strong analytical, problem-solving, and cost optimization skills.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and learning new technologies, processes, and systems.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and influencing skills.
• Self-starter with proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Visio, and PowerPoint; familiarity with Minitab and process database management systems preferred.
• Experience leading innovation, commercialization, or continuous improvement initiatives in a manufacturing environment preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead process development and cross-functional activities on projects, particularly initiatives involving innovation and new technologies.
• Develop cost estimates and capital requests for pilot, trial, and commercial-scale activities.
• Apply scale-up principles for unit operations commonly used within the food industry.
• Design and execute experiments using Design of Experiments methodologies where appropriate.
• Evaluate project profitability drivers and identify opportunities for cost optimization.
• Maintain accurate and complete records of experimental results, process development activities, and design work.
• Analyze data, draw conclusions, and prepare reports and presentations to communicate recommendations and results.
• Leverage internal and external resources to evaluate alternatives, solve technical challenges, and implement effective solutions.
• Conduct literature reviews and develop summaries, conclusions, and technical insight documents.
• Create and maintain process engineering playbooks, white papers, and technical knowledge resources while transferring learnings to manufacturing facilities when appropriate.
• Develop and apply project management practices to support successful project execution.
• Act as a change agent by championing innovative ideas with meaningful business potential and gaining organizational alignment.
• Support the development of process innovation pipelines through subject matter expertise and creative problem solving.
• Collect, analyze, and present process data to guide decision-making and direct project team efforts.

Skills

Process development

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Project management

Communication skills

MS Office

Education

Engineering degree

Tools

Minitab

Process databases

Visio

Job description

Conagra Brands seeks a process development leader to own critical development efforts from concept to commercialization in a manufacturing setting. You will drive innovation, design experiments, and translate insights into scalable processes for priority brands and facilities.

You will lead cross-functional teams, develop cost estimates for pilots and commercial scales, and maintain rigorous documentation. Exceptional communication and problem-solving are essential for success in this role.