R&D Natural Cheese Manager

R&D Natural Cheese Manager

This role is located at our Corporate Office in Arden Hills, MN.

We offer a hybrid work environment that consists of 3 days in the office (T/W/Th) and 2 days remote/virtual (M/F).

This role does not offer full remote/virtual.

Position Overview:

The Natural Cheese R&D Product Development Manager serves as a technical thought leader driving business goals and R&D foundational vision across Retail and B2B natural cheese platforms.

By bridging technical research with plant reality and commercial priorities, you will leverage your cheese and industry expertise to guide the team, challenge assumptions, and mentor developing scientists.

In this role, you will advance a multi-year technical vision-building deep platform knowledge, advancing core and new products, and partnering cross-functionally to drive long-term stability and data-driven innovative solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness



* Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of scientists, fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.



* Serve as a technical mentor, strengthening capability in technical learning, experimental design, critical thinking, risk assessment, and data-driven decision making.



* Provide clear direction, candid feedback, and development support while empowering scientists to own execution and outcomes.



* Promote focus, prioritization, timely decision making, and constructive technical debate.

Natural Cheese Technical Leadership



* Provide deep expertise across the complete cheesemaking lifecycle, from milk standardization and culture/enzyme systems to aging and functionality.



* Deepen organizational knowledge of the chemical, physical, and microbial drivers of core products.



* Guide formulation and process refinements to improve product consistency, functionality, and flavor.

Operational Partnership & Technical Enablement



* Build trust-based, collaborative relationships across the manufacturing network-partnering closely with plant managers, quality, engineering, process technology, and operations teams.



* Clarify ownership, accountability, and partnership models across functions.



* Champion the use of manufacturing data, advanced analytics, and AI tools to accelerate root-cause analysis, drive yield and cost optimizations, and transition the team from reactive troubleshooting to proactive process control.



* Support implementation of new technologies and manufacturing capabilities.

Business and Portfolio Leadershipoffs and actionable recommendations.



* Drive effective use of resources across technical functions.



* Align technical priorities with business objectives.



* Translate complex dairy science and manufacturing realities into clear business trade-offs and actionable recommendations.



* Drive effective use of resources across technical functions.

Requir...