Senior Engineer - R&D Process Development
About The Position
Roquette is a family-owned global leader in plant-based ingredients and a leading provider of pharmaceutical excipients. We are looking for our next Senior R&D Process Engineer within our Americas R&D Team. Roquette is a leader in plant-based ingredients, dedicated to innovation and excellence. The Americas R&D Team is seeking an R&D Process Engineer or Senior R&D Process Engineer to contribute to and lead complex process development, optimization, and manufacturing-support projects for its starch, sugar, sweetener, and polyol businesses. This hands-on role combines advanced process-engineering expertise with strong experimental design, data analysis, troubleshooting, and cross-functional collaboration. The successful candidate will work closely with manufacturing teams to develop practical, sustainable solutions that improve safety, quality, reliability, yield, capacity, cost, and process efficiency. The role requires the ability to independently lead technical work while communicating effectively with operations, R&D, Engineering, Quality, HSE, and global technical teams. This position is located Geneva, IL.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline.
- Minimum of 3-5+ years' experience in process engineering, R&D, or manufacturing support within the starch, sugar, sweetener, polyol, food ingredient, chemical, or related industries.
- Demonstration of technical expertise in at least 2 of the following areas: Milling (dry and or wet), Starch hydrolysis (enzymatic or acid), Industrial Chromatography, Production of by-products (oil, gluten meal, gluten feed, etc.), Polyols production (hydrogenation), Purification technologies (ion exchange, filtration, activated carbon treatment), Drying technologies (evaporation, crystallization, etc.).
- Experience leading technical projects independently and working effectively in manufacturing, pilot-plant, and laboratory environments.
- Employee must be able to wear a respirator.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant discipline is preferred.
- Candidates with broader relevant experience and demonstrated technical leadership may be considered for the Senior R&D Process Engineer level.
Responsibilities
- Lead and contribute to R&D and manufacturing-support projects from problem definition through plant implementation, ensuring scope, priorities, risks, timelines, and deliverables are clear and aligned with business needs.
- Design, execute, analyze, and document laboratory, pilot-plant, and plant trials using sound experimental design, appropriate analytical methods, and statistically valid data interpretation.
- Support process scale-up, technology transfer, and implementation of new or improved processes from laboratory or pilot scale to commercial manufacturing.
- Diagnose complex manufacturing and process-performance issues using structured root-cause analysis; evaluate alternatives and recommend technical and economically sound solutions.
- Optimize process operations to improve product quality, yield, throughput, energy efficiency, reliability, cost, and sustainability through process-engineering and continuous-improvement principles.
- Apply technical expertise in starch conversion and modification, sugar and sweetener processing, polyol production, and the related process-unit operations.
- Provide subject-matter expertise in separations, including enzymatic reactions, hydrogenation, centrifugation, membrane systems, chromatography, ion exchange, evaporation, crystallization, and drying.
- Partner directly with manufacturing personnel to understand plant constraints, incorporate operational experience, and jointly implement safe, practical, and sustainable improvements.
- Collaborate with internal and external technical experts to share knowledge, resolve challenges, and identify opportunities for innovation.
- Prepare clear technical reports, trial protocols, process recommendations, presentations, and project updates tailored to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Mentor junior engineers, scientists, interns, and co-ops in process engineering, experimental methods, data analysis, and structured problem solving.
- Maintain compliance with applicable HSE, food safety, food quality, and regulatory requirements while participating in risk assessments and safety reviews.
Benefits
- Competitive pay
- annual performance bonus
- comprehensive benefits
- 6.2% company retirement contribution
- professional development opportunities
- Generous paid time off
- 12 annual paid company holidays
- 12 weeks 100% paid maternity leave
- up to 4 weeks 100% paid parental leave (including adoption/surrogacy/foster care leave) for non-birthing parents
- Student loan repayment assistance
- tuition reimbursement program for select roles
- Annual wellness benefit
- wellness centered programs focused on your health needs
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
