Principal Scientist

Dairy Farmers of America•Springfield, MO

About The Position

Responsible for the development of Wet/Liquid/Paste dairy systems and 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 dairy flavors and emulsions 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.

Requirements

B.S. Degree in food, dairy or biological science related discipline
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
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

Nice To Haves

Masters or PHD desirable
Desired areas of expertise:
Fermentation and enzyme modification of dairy products and ingredients for flavor and functionality improvement or development
Knowledge of flavor compounding utilizing paste and liquid flavor systems
Working and advanced knowledge of natural, processed cheeses and dairy sauces’ manufacturing
Excellent knowledge of dairy flavors application across the food and dairy industries and market segments
Ability to create paste, liquid and dry flavor formulations and products
Dairy science and Dairy Microbiology

Responsibilities

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
Reformulate products and stream-line processes appropriate to reduce cost
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 pilot plant equipment, for new products, cheeses, flavors and emulsion systems development.
Develop effective concepts for benchtop sessions, in partnership with sales, 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 maintain, improve and develop the DFA solutions and capabilities
Inspire and excite DFA 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 make and review presentations for commercialization activities
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
Active participation in commercial project review by offering guidance and mentorship