Technology Principal

Sargento Foods Inc.; Elkhart Lake (WI); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical including Fertil

Remote day Fridays

Onsite Health & Wellness Center

Employer 401K contribution in the top

Relocation Assistance

Tuition Assistance

Access to Employee Store

Job summary

Sargento Foods Inc. is seeking a Technology Principal in Wisconsin to lead advanced research and development efforts in cheese science, microbiology, and manufacturing technologies.

This role oversees cross-functional teams to innovate, troubleshoot, and optimize cheese products and processes, while maintaining technical documentation and specs. You will mentor colleagues, monitor external trends, and guide scale-up from bench to commercialization, with overnight travel up to 20% as needed.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD with relevant experience in food science.
• Eight+ years for MS or three+ years for PhD in related fields.
• Experience leading R&D programs and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate, and conduct R&D programs leading to new or improved products, processes, or packaging.
• Maintain technical documentation and product/process specifications.
• Mentor others and communicate findings to internal/external customers.
• Oversee testing and scale-up from bench to commercialization.
• Travel up to 20% as required.

Skills

Cheese chemistry

Microbiology

Aging processes

Manufacturing techniques

Technical mentoring

Education

Master's degree in Food Science

PhD in Food Science

Job description

Overview

The Technology Principal relates to a wide range of technical skills and many non-technical company functions. Has an expert level understanding of food science principles, practices and procedures. Individual is responsible for identifying, defining, and solving complex technical problems by creatively applying broad technical knowledge as well as an in-depth knowledge of technical specialty. Applies scientific and engineering principles in research, development, production technology, quality control, packaging, processing, and utilization of foods by performing the following duties.

Your Story

The Technology Principal relates to a wide range of technical skills and many non-technical company functions. Has an expert level understanding of food science principles, practices and procedures. Individual is responsible for identifying, defining, and solving complex technical problems by creatively applying broad technical knowledge as well as an in-depth knowledge of technical specialty. Applies scientific and engineering principles in research, development, production technology, quality control, packaging, processing, and utilization of foods by performing the following duties.

Benefits that set us apart

• Comprehensive medical including Fertility, Adoption benefits, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Remote day Fridays
• Onsite Health & Wellness Center
• Employer 401K contribution in the top 1% of the nation
• Relocation Assistance
• Tuition Assistance
• Access to Employee Store

What You Do

• Demonstrated deep knowledge of cheese chemistry, microbiology, aging processes, and manufacturing techniques. Proven experience in applying this expertise to innovate, troubleshoot, and optimize cheese products and processes.
• Plans, coordinates, and conducts research and development programs of considerable scope and complexity leading to new or improved products, processes, or packaging systems to support business objectives.
• Maintains written technical documentation and product and process specifications.
• Effectively communicates research findings and recommendations to internal and external customers.
• Understands and has the ability to teach/mentor others, both internally and externally, in technical area of expertise.
• Monitors outside activities and evaluates technical trends in their specific area of expertise. Identifies opportunities and makes recommendations for process or product improvements.
• Maintains strong external relationships in the scientific and academic communities to maintain current technological knowledge base.
• Conducts or supervises the testing and scale-up of new products from bench top to commercialization. Develops in-process, finished product specification limits and manufacturing instructions to ensure product quality/consistency critical to product quality.
• Collaborates with and/or leads a team of internal (manufacturing, engineering, marketing, quality systems, procurement) and external (suppliers, consultants) functional experts to help resolve issues. Recommends technical direction to management.
• Other duties may be assigned.
• Overnight travel up to 20%.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• May supervise a scientist, technician and/or intern. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance, and addressing complaints and resolving problems.

Your Education and Experience

• Master's degree (M.S.) in Food Science or equivalent with eight plus years relevant experience; or PhD in Food Science or equivalent with three plus years of relevant experience.

Our Story

With over 2,400+ employees and net sales of $1.8 billion, Sargento Foods is a family-owned company that has been a leader in cheese for more than 70 years. We created the world's first, successful pre-packaged sliced and shredded natural cheeses. Sargento is based in Plymouth, Wisconsin, where we manufacture and market shredded, sliced and snack natural cheese products, as well as ingredients and sauces. Sargento is known for the exceptional quality of our products and for product design, packaging and merchandising innovations that have transformed our industry.

To learn more about our culture and values, please visit our website at https://careers.sargento.com/us/en.

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Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

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