Principal Scientist, Co-Drying & Dry Blending

General Purpose:

Responsible for the development of co-dried and dry blended dairy/dairy flavors for food and dairy industries from concept/opportunity through commercialization (at the customer). This person will be relied upon as an expert related to co-drying and dry blending including dairy science research, innovation, development, applications; relating to new product/solution development; but also, for formulation cost-out opportunities, process improvements, new technology scouting. Key driver of organic growth through monetization of the opportunity and innovation pipeline.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

Specific to Strategy:

• Research dairy science, food science and equipment for the purpose of innovating new technologies and the development of intellectual property (IP) for DFA.
• Develop new wet and dry dairy systems, dairy flavors, dairy emulsions and solutions using DFA's plethora of ingredient options and manufacturing capabilities.
• Utilizing DFA's expansive drying (and dry blending) network and capabilities to enhance the value of DFA's dried dairy products using a "what can we do with what we have?" mentality.
• Work with engineering and process technology to continuously expand DFA's drying, dry blending, and agglomeration capabilities through discovery of new tech, equipment/process modification, and formulation.
• Reformulate products as appropriate to reduce cost including building least cost/flexible formulation models encompassing of the fluctuation commodity markets and raw material availability.
• Perform applications testing simulating the customer's end-use to ensure the products developed exceed the customer's expectations for taste, functionality, and nutrition.
• Utilize sensory science tools, available in the Innovation Center, to give data points to the customer demonstrating expectations are met/exceeded.
• Perform pilot plant testing to ensure a successful scale-up for DFA manufacturing and ultimately the end customer.
• Drive the commercialization of new products by partnering with the process technology team in the plants.
• Support the customer in scale up and commercialization to ensure DFA people and products are part of the scale up and launch.
• Effectively operate all pilot plant equipment required to properly scale-up and test in application.
• Develop effective concepts for benchtop sessions, in partnership with sales and marketing, to generate wins with customers.
• Support sales in determining customer needs, problems, insights, and strategy that would ultimately require a DFA solution.
• Proactively initiate action plans to develop the solutions and capabilities.
• Inspire and excite customers through demonstration of unique new products and applications that are relevant to their consumers.
• Partner with sales to understand customer's future needs, their brands, and strategies to anticipate new areas of capability development and innovative ideas for end use categories.
• Provide technical and applications expertise to support the customer.
• Drive opportunities to commercialization internally and close with the customer.
• Co-create and effectively utilize the product lifecycle management (PLM) process and adhere to the Scientific Development Standards Process, including version control, development notes and documented learnings.
• Effectively utilize CRM (Salesforce.com) as a tool to manage status of the opportunities, project milestones in the pipeline and track KPIs related to the opportunity pipeline continually improving our R&D service to customers, ultimately leading to faster speed-to-market driving increased customer connectivity.
• Collaborate with and influence technical sales, customer support and other stakeholders to "solve for yes".
• Contribute to technical content and review presentations for sales and marketing.
• Provide effective, timely and relevant reporting to leadership.
• Apply strong knowledge of the DFA's capabilities - including understanding the functional and technical aspects of the products and how DFA's capabilities differentiate us from others in the industry.
• Demonstrate a "never stop learning" mindset and influence others to adopt this mindset.
• The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee, but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required.

Minimum Requirements:

Education and Experience:

• B.S. Degree in food, dairy or biological science related discipline.
• Masters or PHD desirable.
• 8+ years of industry experience in R&D.
• Proven career advancement in dairy flavors, natural, process and cheese sauces and products.
• Demonstrated staff leadership attributes or staff management experience.
• Proven successful track record in new product development with multiple examples of commercialized products/solutions directly or under your leadership.
• Desired areas of expertise:

• Co-drying and dry blending combinations of dairy, dairy flavors, seasonings, flavors, colors, and other ingredients.
• Seasoning and flavor development.
• Agglomeration and instantization of powders.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Food safety programs and food safety by design.
• Food regulatory & labeling laws including both: USDA & FDA.
• Strong leadership and team building abilities.
• Exceptional communication skills.
• Ability to solve complex customer demands and problems.
• Self-driven and committed to hands on work habits.
• Ability to initiate, drive and adapt to change.
• Ability to balance heavy workload and manage multiple tasks.
• Must have the ability and capability to interact and communicate with the most senior levels of the organization.
• Able to read, write, and speak English.

Travel:

15%-25% (1-2 times per quarter)

An Equal Opportunity Employer