Sr. Scientist, R&D - Process Technology

Kraft Heinz, Inc.; Glenview (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Kraft Heinz, Inc. in Glenview, IL is seeking a processing engineer to lead end-to-end development from prototyping to pilot scale and industrial production. You will evaluate new technologies, write design scopes, and drive commercialization with cross-functional teams across R&D, quality, and operations.

The role emphasizes hands-on processing development, CQV/FMEA/CPRA tools, and strong technical communication to ensure on-time launches while maintaining safety and regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related.
• Minimum 4 years in R&D or Engineering in consumer goods, food & beverage, pharma, or similar.
• Experience with emulsions / shear processing, fermentation, extrusion, thermal processing & validation, aeration, drying, or powder mixing.
• Hands-on end-to-end processing development with pilot trials and scale-up to production.
• Familiar with CQV, FMEA, CPRA, Process Design Scopes, Transformation Flowsheets.
• Strong project management with multi-stakeholder plans, schedules, and risk logs.
• Proficiency with MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Excel; familiarity with SAP.
• Strong technical communication for cross-functional audiences.
• Willingness to travel up to 25%.

Responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize emerging process technologies aligned to business needs.
• Develop scale up strategies from prototyping to pilot plant and commercialization.
• Execute end-to-end technical delivery across complex processing projects.
• Maintain detailed technical documentation ensuring quality and performance requirements.
• Apply CQV, FMEA, CPRA to mitigate risks and support launch readiness.
• Partner with R&D, Quality, Operations, and external suppliers to define requirements and milestones.
• Lead pilot line trials and scale-up activities translating learnings into robust solutions.
• Contribute to STAR and Tech Review Board processes presenting design rationale and risk status.
• Maintain regulatory and safety compliance throughout project execution.
• Support cost optimization and value engineering to improve margin and sustainability.
• Mentor junior processing engineers and share technical know-how.
• Deliver successful execution across concurrent projects within timelines and budgets.
• Share learnings and best practices across the E2E projects organization.

Skills

Emulsions processing

Scale-up

Fermentation

Thermal processing

Powder handling

Project management

Technical communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Jira

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related

Tools

MS Project

Smartsheet

Jira

Excel

SAP

Job description

Responsibilities

• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize emerging process technologies (equipment, automation, digital, etc) aligned to business needs.
• Develop scale up strategies from prototyping to pilot plant, and right the first time commercialization to drive optimal project execution.
• Execute end-to-end technical delivery across assigned complex processing projects, including technical briefing, concept development, technical design, learning plans, pilot runs, capital design, and commercialization handover to Operations/Supply Chain.
• Develop and maintain detailed technical documentation including Manufacturing Procedure Specifications, Transformation Flowsheets, and Process Design Scopes, ensuring processing parameters meet defined quality, shelf-life, consumer experience, and manufacturing performance requirements.
• Apply processing commercialization tools (CQV, FMEA, CPRA) to systematically identify and mitigate technical risks, drive design decisions, and ensure Right-First-Time launch readiness.
• Partner with Platform R&D, GDI R&D, Packaging R&D, Quality, Operations, and external suppliers to define processing requirements and success criteria, resolve technical trade-offs, and maintain project timelines and milestones.
• Lead and support pilot line trials and scale-up activities, translating learnings into robust commercial processing solutions.
• Contribute to STAR and Tech Review Board processes, preparing and presenting technical content that clearly communicates design rationale, risk status, and commercialization readiness.
• Maintain compliance with all regulatory and safety requirements throughout project execution.
• Support cost optimization and value engineering efforts that improve margin, sustainability, and reinvestment priorities.
• Serve as an informal technical mentor to junior processing engineers on the team, sharing applied expertise and supporting capability development.
• Deliver successful technical execution across concurrent complex processing projects within innovation and platform portfolios, meeting committed timelines, budgets, and technical performance targets.
• Contribute to team capability by sharing technical learnings, best practices, and processing expertise across the broader E2E projects organization.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD degree in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum 4 years of experience in R&D or Engineering roles within consumer goods, food & beverage, pharma, or a similar industry.
• Demonstrated experience in emulsions / shear processing, fermentation, extrusion, thermal processing & validation, aeration, drying, or powder mixing preferred.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience executing end-to-end processing development projects, including pilot trials and scale-up to industrial production.
• Strong applied knowledge of processing commercialization tools including CQV, FMEA, CPRA, Process Design Scopes, and Transformation Flowsheets.
• Solid project management skills, with experience maintaining detailed project plans, schedules, and risk logs on multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Proficiency with project tools (MS Project, Smartsheet, Jira, or equivalent), advanced Excel skills; familiarity with ERP systems (SAP).
• Strong technical communication skills with the ability to synthesize complex processing data into clear recommendations for cross-functional audiences.
• Experience with pilot line set-up, scale-up and industrial production launches, including multi-site experience preferred.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% of the time.