Principal Scientist, Butter & Spreads

Principal Scientist, Butter & Spreads

This role requires working a minimum of 4 days working onsite in our Arden Hills office.

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Principal Scientist to join our Butter & Spreads product development team within the Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods R&D.

The ideal candidate will be an expert in fats, oils, and fat continuous systems with a strong background in food science and technology.

This role will involve leading research and product development projects, driving innovation and foundational learning, and ensuring the highest quality standards for our products.

This role will be a thought-leader for the organization and drive growth through research and technology exploration.

Key Responsibilities:


* Build and execute foundational research pipelines.

Develop sound research plans, leverage emerging technologies, and incorporate new methodologies to achieve desired results.


* Leverage internal and external resources to drive advancement in fat continuous dairy based formulated foods create transformational change.

Propose projects that meet business and technical objectives.


* Lead and coordinate project activities in the areas of new product development, product/process improvement, and cost savings.

Evaluate progress and lead team members towards the achievement of tactical project/business objectives.

Use sound experimental methodology, statistics/modeling, and technologies to drive results.

Effectively gain alignment and communicate results to stakeholders.


* Lead collaboration with cross-functional R&D and non-R&D teams, including Food Chemistry, Process Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, Quality, and Operations, to ensure alignment and integration of projects with business objectives.


* Mentor and train other team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development across diverse perspectives and skill sets.


* Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge.

Education and Qualifications:


* B.S.

Degree in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, or another biological field) - required


* Graduate Degree (M.S.

or Ph.D.) in relevant field preferred


* 5 or more years of work experience including leveraging technical expertise and having led large initiatives in a professional work environment - required


* Proven track record of leading successful R&D research and product development projects and driving technical innovation in the food industry - required


* Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple research projects simultaneously - required


* Experience with food formulation development, fat continuous systems, emulsions, ingredient functionality, fat crystallization, process optimization, and scale-up challenges for fats and oils.

Required


* ...