Spray Drying Process Engineer - Optimize Yield & Throughput

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 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.