Lead, R&D - Pilot Plant

The Kraft Heinz Company • Glenview, IL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Lead, R&D - Pilot Plants provides leadership of the Glenview and Warrendale Research & Development Pilot Plants department. This role has full technical responsibility for the results of the team’s efforts and for the effectiveness of its overall integration with other R&D and cross-functional partners. This is a Center R&D-based technical leadership role providing leadership for the identification of process and product technology driven projects and platforms, feasibility evaluation, and future scale-up and in-home consumer test production across our North American businesses. The candidate will be responsible for testing and resource allocation of driving technical projects to meet strategic business initiatives, as well as coaching respective staff. This candidate should have a consistent record of process and/or product development as well as carrying out work plans and committing to results in a variety of settings. This includes understanding the business need, completing tests, operational efficiency, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, communicating results, and piloting commercialization. Proven communication, leadership and teamwork skills are crucial in this role, which operates in a cross-functional environment. The Lead should also have a strong technical background coupled with the ability to apply prior learning and operational principles to new situations. Exhibiting a collaborative approach and applying innovative solutions are key to success as well as using technical knowledge to develop and mentor others through successful product and process development scale up.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of experience in food industry manufacturing required.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Chemical, Food, or related Engineering fields required.
• 10+ years of R&D, Operations, or Supply Chain Development and project leadership experience (consumer goods, food & beverage, pharma or similar) preferred.
• Experience leading, coaching, motivating and inspiring large teams in a R&D, Manufacturing, Operations or Quality environment
• Practical experience for the establishment of process and product specifications (and quality systems/procedures for management of specifications)
• Ability to translate long-term business strategy into multi-year business plan and supports strategy and process development
• Be uniquely experienced in HACCP and FSMA to build new small batch manufacturing capability with minimal coaching/support
• Technical skills to manage the resources and budgets for projects and platforms to drive execution and measure results
• Strong pilot-scale process and product data analysis skills (including environmental checks)
• Knowledge of FSMA and FDA guidelines needed to establish production of in-home test samples from the pilot plant
• Certification of general food safety principles desired
• Working knowledge of HACCP, Food Defense and other food quality attributes preferred
• Demonstrated experience in people management
• Physical presence in pilot plant for team and program leadership
• Regular office work

Responsibilities

• Manage and supervise the Glenview and Warrendale pilot plant facilities including capital, resources, and staffing needs across categories
• Manage and supervise the Glenview Small Batch Manufacturing space
• Centralized North America leadership of Glenview and Warrendale pilot plant operations to share standard methodologies and build a community of subject matter experts
• Lead and guide team leaders on handling project prioritization across different categories of pilot plants, foster an environment of professional development, establish career plans for rotations/cross-training on categories and lead all aspects of performance process
• Manage dedicated maintenance team, help establish required preventative maintenance for all pilot plant equipment to deliver uninterrupted service to internal customers
• Cultivate leadership to all team members on strict adherence to safety and GMP procedures
• Partners with EHS representative and leadership on the latest training and facility requirements
• Align the KHC enterprise strategy (both short and long term) objectives to the assignments of the pilot plant
• Identify technical gaps or confirm resources are in place for feasibility to deliver business objectives
• Implement necessary technologies, equipment and efficiencies to deliver both short- and long-term goals
• Document and communicate takeaways across team and with cross-functionals (i.e R&D, Quality, Manufacturing, etc.)
• Coordinate the resources and budgets for the area to meet business objectives
• Directs work assignments, scheduling, and reviews of work in progress
• Review technical feasibility of proposed solutions to product and process development projects
• Deliver pilot scale production across product categories to support BU projects in the 1- and 3-year plans for North America
• Lead and sustain a team of high-performing managers and technicians with clear capability deployment across the portfolio and improved bench strength. Manage, coach, mentor and retain employees, including goal-setting, performance management, and hiring.
• Ensure full compliance with safety and quality policies for all Pilot Plant areas, including audits for the Small Batch Manufacturing space
• In partnership with the Central Process team, implement scalable processes in the pilot plant on priority brands to enable right first time and minimize rework at factory trials
• In partnership with the Central Process team, create capability to produce products that can be utilized for in-home consumer testing

Benefits

• Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs.
• Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.
• We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
• You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example: Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level