Wet Technology Specialist

Mars Incorporated; North Sioux City (SD); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K matching

Bonus

Job summary

Mars Incorporated is seeking a Regional Wet Technology Manager to lead regional R&D strategy, governance, and capability development for North America and Rapid Growth Markets. You will align cross-functional teams across Manufacturing, Engineering, QFS, and Regulatory to deliver technology roadmaps and robust validation plans.

The role emphasizes leadership of a high-performing team, continuous improvement, and collaboration with global WET forums to shape standards and investment decisions.

Qualifications

• B.S. in Science, Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Food) or related technology program. M.S. degree preferred.
• 5+ years of relevant experiences in food technology development, process & product scale-up and/or implementation.
• 2+ years of experience as a people leader developing and engaging a successful team.
• Demonstrated Factory experience
• Working in a company with multicultural and international features
• Demonstrated industry experience as R&D engineer or Quality & Food Safety Engineer
• Green belt or Black belt for Lean 6-Sigma is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own and translate global and regional R&D strategies into a prioritized, time-bound WET technology roadmap for North America and Rapid Growth Markets.
• Provide regional decision leadership for WET technology deployment, balancing innovation, quality, supply continuity, sustainability, cost, and operational risk.
• Establish governance, priorities, performance indicators, and escalation pathways; proactively resolve gaps that threaten delivery or specification conformance.
• Represent the region in global WET technology forums and ensure regional needs, lessons learned, and risks shape global standards and investment decisions.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing technical team; set clear accountabilities and build succession and capability plans.
• Build WET technical depth across regional and site PPI communities through coaching, standards, training, and structured knowledge transfer.
• Create an inclusive, accountable culture that encourages sound technical challenge, disciplined experimentation, and continuous learning.
• Provide R&D leadership for complex regional industrialization, portfolio transfer, business continuity, quality improvement, sustainability, and innovation initiatives.
• Align Manufacturing, Engineering, QFS, Innovation, Project teams, Regulatory, Planning, and site leadership on scope, risk, resources, decisions, and readiness.
• Own the regional Industrial Risk Assessment for implementation of new raw materials, products, processes, and technologies; ensure mitigations and decision points are explicit.
• Direct industrial trials and Standard Running Condition definition, ensuring robust plans, data-based conclusions, and clear recommendations.
• Lead deployment, validation, and lifecycle governance of regional WET product and process specifications.
• Ensure conformance to Royal Canin WET manufacturing standards; identify systemic gaps, authorize regional changes within governance, and elevate global standard issues.
• Drive process capability and continuous improvement with QFS and Operations, including reduction of non-quality cost and recurring technical losses.
• Act as the senior regional escalation point for complex raw material, product, and process issues.
• Frame technical problems, assemble cross-functional expert teams, select robust methods, and lead investigations using DMAIC and Lean Six Sigma principles.
• Convert findings into sustainable standards, specifications, capability building, and network-wide learning.
• Serve as the regional R&D CVS lead for WET technology and define the validation strategy, protocols, resources, and acceptance criteria for new equipment and lines.
• Validate detailed design inputs that affect product and process performance, including raw material handling, line allocation, production sequence, and equipment parameters.
• Own regional R&D readiness for process and product validation, commissioning, ramp-up, portfolio implementation, and handover in line with project governance.
• Partner with the Global WET Technology Specialist on major or global projects while independently leading regional and lower-complexity implementations.
• Provide regional input during development, scale-up, validation, and deployment phases of QES and TRL projects.
• Influence test strategy, trial allocation, final risk assessment, and final R&D specifications using regional operating knowledge and industrial data.
• Capture and share validation and start-up lessons to strengthen global standards and future project execution.

Skills

People leadership

R&D management

Quality & food safety

Lean Six Sigma (Green/Black belt)

Education

B.S. in Science/Engineering or related

M.S. degree preferred

Job description

Job Description

The Regional Wet Technology Manager provides regional technical and people leadership for WET technology across North America and virtual support to Rapid Growth Markets. The role connects global technology leadership with local execution, owns the regional deployment and conformance of WET product and process specifications, and builds sustainable regional capability. It works through influence across functions and sites, sets technical direction and priorities, and leads decisions where product, process, quality, engineering, innovation, and operational requirements intersect.

What are we looking for?

• B.S. in Science, Engineering (Mechanical, Chemical, Food) or related technology program. M.S. degree preferred
• 5 + years of relevant experiences in food technology development, process & product scale-up and/or implementation
• 2 + years of experience as a people leader developing and engaging a successful team.
• Demonstrated Factory experience
• Working in a company with multicultural and international features
• Demonstrated industry experience as R&D engineer or Quality & Food Safety Engineer
• Green belt or Black belt for Lean 6-Sigma is a plus

What would be your key responsibilities?

Set Regional WET Technology Direction and Governance

• Own and translate global and regional R&D strategies into a prioritized, time-bound WET technology roadmap for North America and Rapid Growth Markets.
• Provide regional decision leadership for WET technology deployment, balancing innovation, quality, supply continuity, sustainability, cost, and operational risk.
• Establish governance, priorities, performance indicators, and escalation pathways; proactively resolve gaps that threaten delivery or specification conformance.
• Represent the region in global WET technology forums and ensure regional needs, lessons learned, and risks shape global standards and investment decisions.

Lead and Develop Regional Capability

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing technical team; set clear accountabilities and build succession and capability plans.
• Build WET technical depth across regional and site PPI communities through coaching, standards, training, and structured knowledge transfer.
• Create an inclusive, accountable culture that encourages sound technical challenge, disciplined experimentation, and continuous learning.

Lead Cross-Functional Industrialization

• Provide R&D leadership for complex regional industrialization, portfolio transfer, business continuity, quality improvement, sustainability, and innovation initiatives.
• Align Manufacturing, Engineering, QFS, Innovation, Project teams, Regulatory, Planning, and site leadership on scope, risk, resources, decisions, and readiness.
• Own the regional Industrial Risk Assessment for implementation of new raw materials, products, processes, and technologies; ensure mitigations and decision points are explicit.
• Direct industrial trials and Standard Running Condition definition, ensuring robust plans, data-based conclusions, and clear recommendations.

Own WET Product and Process Conformance

• Lead deployment, validation, and lifecycle governance of regional WET product and process specifications.
• Ensure conformance to Royal Canin WET manufacturing standards; identify systemic gaps, authorize regional changes within governance, and elevate global standard issues.
• Drive process capability and continuous improvement with QFS and Operations, including reduction of non-quality cost and recurring technical losses.

Lead Complex Technical Problem Solving

• Act as the senior regional escalation point for complex raw material, product, and process issues.
• Frame technical problems, assemble cross-functional expert teams, select robust methods, and lead investigations using DMAIC and Lean Six Sigma principles.
• Convert findings into sustainable standards, specifications, capability building, and network-wide learning.

Lead Validation and Commissioning

• Serve as the regional R&D CVS lead for WET technology and define the validation strategy, protocols, resources, and acceptance criteria for new equipment and lines.
• Validate detailed design inputs that affect product and process performance, including raw material handling, line allocation, production sequence, and equipment parameters.
• Own regional R&D readiness for process and product validation, commissioning, ramp-up, portfolio implementation, and handover in line with project governance.
• Partner with the Global WET Technology Specialist on major or global projects while independently leading regional and lower-complexity implementations.

Shape Future WET Technology and Specifications

• Provide regional input during development, scale-up, validation, and deployment phases of QES and TRL projects.
• Influence test strategy, trial allocation, final risk assessment, and final R&D specifications using regional operating knowledge and industrial data.
• Capture and share validation and start-up lessons to strengthen global standards and future project execution.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus and 401K matching program.