Research & Development Scientist, Process Engineering

Smuckers•Akron, OH

42d•Hybrid

About The Position

Help shape the future of Uncrustables innovation! Develop and implement proprietary process technologies that bring new products to life-from concept to commercialization. Optimize existing processes and lead projects that drive efficiency and growth. If you enjoy mentoring others and thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment, we'd love to have you on our team. Location: Orrville, OH Work Arrangements: 50% onsite or more depending on business need

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering (Chemical/Mechanical/Food Engineering)
5 + years experience in process development or operations technical support within CPG industry.
Able to function as a technical leader in process engineering in multifunctional teams.
Skilled in communicating difficult technical concepts and managing complex learning plans to convey technical information cross-functionally and to leadership.
Strong experience with process engineering and record of leveraging this experience to develop, qualify, and launch new process innovation and technologies.
Can plan and execute designed experiments (DOE) to generate relevant process data to identify and mitigate process and product risks.
Strong collaborative nature across functional teams to achieve shared goals.
Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple projects simultaneously.
Experience with equipment and process troubleshooting.
Project management experience and strong personal leadership, able to work autonomously to plan, implement, monitor, and deliver objectives.
Proven success leading projects from benchtop to scale up and commercialization.
Ability to work a hybrid working schedule based on Company Core Weeks and business needs - with in office presence at or above 50% regularly; start times based on work needs may be before 8 AM (~25% of work days).
Approximately 20% travel; normally a minimum of 3-5 days consecutive per trip.

Nice To Haves

Controls/PLC programming experience
Proficy and Historian experience and training
Proficient using statistical software (JMP, Minitab, etc.)
Maintaining excellent documentation
Food Safety - PCQI training

Responsibilities

Develop robust processes for Uncrustables R&D, innovation, renovation, and technology initiatives.
Design, plan, coordinate and execute experiments from bench-top through manufacturing scale. Accountabilities can include creating test plans, commissioning and qualification plans, process flow diagrams, designing equipment and tooling, data analysis & interpretation, assessing process feasibility/capability, and scale-up risks/mitigations.
Lead a technical and cross-functional team to successfully commission & launch new innovation projects.
Lead technical team members to develop key tasks, timelines, and project plans for timely completion of goals.
Document technical findings and clearly articulate findings and recommendations through written and verbal summaries to the leadership team and cross-functionally.
Apply fundamental engineering principles in combination with a creative mindset & critical thinking to develop solutions.
Be a subject matter expert on R&D equipment design, operation, and troubleshooting.
Lead and support testing in PRL.
Identify and investigate new process technologies.
Identify and communicate process scale-up risks and mitigations.
Lead patent opportunities for technologies and processes.
Interface with equipment suppliers, service providers, manufacturing facilities and relevant business functions to achieve goals.
Drive decisions and recommendations based on data.
Provide coaching and function as a resource for junior engineers.
Become fluent and participate in JMS Key Element and Quality programs to support R&D.