Senior Applications Scientist

Agropur•Eden Prairie, MN

About The Position

We are looking for a Senior Applications Scientist in Eden Prairie, MN. The Senior Applications Scientist is an independent role that requires minimal supervision and provides technical support to domestic and international customers. The position provides leadership and guidance in Agropur’s global markets by providing insights and technical direction to sales teams and customers. Applications Development Apply technical expertise in protein chemistry and functionality to develop dairy-based products addressing challenges related to solubility, stability, and texture to ensure product performance and commercial viability. Team lead for cross-functional R&D projects focused on dairy ingredient functionality and interactions. Designing and executing experiments, interpreting data, and delivering actionable insights through clear technical reports to internal stakeholders and external clients. Develop formulations for diverse food applications Guide and lead ideation sessions with sales and marketing teams to identify potential food and non-food applications for Agropur’s ingredient portfolio. Through science and experimentation, investigate new and better ways to incorporate whey products into a wide variety of food and nutrition products. Provide training and supervision to student interns and new application scientists. Utilize consumer market research and latest technologies to develop new product concepts. Collaborate with other Agropur labs to accomplish research projects. Translate technical findings into meaningful business recommendations; communicate results clearly and impactfully, driving decision-making both with internal stakeholders and external customers. Maintain and explore new lab equipment essential for characterizing dairy ingredient functionality and supporting product development. Sales and Customer Engagement Actively participate in customer communications (on-site visits/seminars/webinars, etc.). Act as lead technical scientist for customers globally. Providing technical presentations, training, and product concepts for Agropur’s ingredient product line during customer visits and trade shows. Integrate consumer insights and emerging technologies to develop innovative food concepts, collaborate with customers on lab-scale prototypes and support scale-up to commercial launch. Premium Protein Value optimization Identify functional attributes supporting premium positioning of Agropur protein ingredients. Translate compositional and structural differences into measurable performance benefits. Produce technical documentation to support value-added differentiation and provide data to drive margin expansion through demonstrated functional superiority.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science or Biological Science required.
Minimum five (5) years of laboratory experience in product development required.
Problem solving skills
Ability to work with multiple priorities in a face paced environment is required.
Proven project management capabilities.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in Food Science or Biological Science preferred.
Equivalent combination of education and/or experience may be considered.
Technical support experience preferred.
Bilingual (English plus a second language, fully fluent) skills preferred.
Familiarity with international business models and cultural nuances preferred.

Responsibilities

Apply technical expertise in protein chemistry and functionality to develop dairy-based products addressing challenges related to solubility, stability, and texture to ensure product performance and commercial viability.
Team lead for cross-functional R&D projects focused on dairy ingredient functionality and interactions.
Designing and executing experiments, interpreting data, and delivering actionable insights through clear technical reports to internal stakeholders and external clients.
Develop formulations for diverse food applications
Guide and lead ideation sessions with sales and marketing teams to identify potential food and non-food applications for Agropur’s ingredient portfolio.
Through science and experimentation, investigate new and better ways to incorporate whey products into a wide variety of food and nutrition products.
Provide training and supervision to student interns and new application scientists.
Utilize consumer market research and latest technologies to develop new product concepts.
Collaborate with other Agropur labs to accomplish research projects.
Translate technical findings into meaningful business recommendations; communicate results clearly and impactfully, driving decision-making both with internal stakeholders and external customers.
Maintain and explore new lab equipment essential for characterizing dairy ingredient functionality and supporting product development.
Actively participate in customer communications (on-site visits/seminars/webinars, etc.).
Act as lead technical scientist for customers globally.
Providing technical presentations, training, and product concepts for Agropur’s ingredient product line during customer visits and trade shows.
Integrate consumer insights and emerging technologies to develop innovative food concepts, collaborate with customers on lab-scale prototypes and support scale-up to commercial launch.
Identify functional attributes supporting premium positioning of Agropur protein ingredients.
Translate compositional and structural differences into measurable performance benefits.
Produce technical documentation to support value-added differentiation and provide data to drive margin expansion through demonstrated functional superiority.