Senior Process Engineer

Balchem • Faribault, MN

26d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Process Engineer, Extrusion Technology is a senior-level individual contributor within the Human Nutrition & Health R&D Process Technology organization. The Process Technology team serves as the technical bridge between Product Development and Manufacturing, helping translate product concepts into scalable, robust, and economically viable manufacturing processes while maintaining product integrity. This role brings deep expertise in extrusion technology to process development, scale-up, commercialization, technology transfer, manufacturing implementation, and lifecycle optimization. The position works closely with Product Development, Manufacturing, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, EHS, and Commercial teams, as applicable, to reduce technical risk, establish scalable operating conditions, and support sustainable commercial processes. While primarily focused on HNH and extrusion technology, the role may contribute to adjacent processing technologies and other Process Technology needs across Balchem where its expertise is applicable.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Food Science, or related technical field required; advanced degree preferred.
• Candidates with a non-engineering technical degree must demonstrate substantial applied process engineering and commercial scale-up experience.
• Minimum seven years of relevant experience in process engineering, process development, or extrusion technology, including demonstrated experience scaling and transferring products or processes from laboratory or pilot environments into commercial manufacturing.
• Demonstrated expertise in extrusion, preferably with twin-screw extrusion, and the relationship between materials, formulation, equipment, process conditions, and product performance.
• Strong understanding of process engineering fundamentals including heat transfer, mass transfer, fluid flow, drying, rheology, material handling, and process control.
• Experience designing trials, analyzing data, establishing process parameters, and troubleshooting manufacturing processes.
• Knowledge of GMP, HACCP, food safety, quality systems, regulatory requirements, and change management processes.
• Strong technical communication, presentation, leadership, and project management skills with the ability to influence across functions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and travel as required to support pilot trials, manufacturing activities, and commercialization efforts.

Nice To Haves

• Working knowledge of one or more adjacent processing technologies, such as spray drying, agglomeration, encapsulation, powder processing, blending, or material handling, preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead safe and compliant process development activities aligned with quality, food safety, environmental, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Product Development to evaluate manufacturability, identify process risks, and develop scalable manufacturing solutions while preserving the intended product design, functionality, and performance.
• Design, execute, and analyze laboratory, pilot, and commercial-scale trials to de-risk scale-up, establish process capability, and support commercialization decisions.
• Establish process requirements, operating conditions, and technical success criteria to guide scale-up and commercialization decisions.
• Lead or support commercialization, process qualification, and technology transfer activities for new products and process changes.
• Translate development knowledge into manufacturing requirements, process controls, operating windows, and specifications.
• Assess manufacturing readiness, resolve technical gaps, and support startup and initial production activities.
• Ensure effective transfer of technical knowledge, process risks, and operating guidance to manufacturing teams.
• Develop or support qualification plans, acceptance criteria, technical protocols, and final reports that document process readiness, results, and residual risk.
• Serve as a technical subject matter expert for extrusion technologies, particularly twin-screw extrusion.
• Apply extrusion expertise to process development, scale-up, equipment evaluation, manufacturing support, and commercialization.
• Develop and optimize process parameters, equipment configurations, control strategies, and operating windows.
• Lead complex technical investigations involving extrusion equipment, raw materials, process performance, and product quality.
• Contribute to capability development through standards, training, best practices, and evaluation of emerging technologies.
• Partner with Manufacturing to improve process safety, quality, reliability, efficiency, and capacity utilization.
• Lead or support technical investigations and root-cause analysis, and partner with Manufacturing and other accountable functions to define and implement corrective actions and process improvements.
• Analyze process data to identify variation, process limitations, and improvement opportunities.
• Support lifecycle activities including process optimization, raw material qualification, change management, and cost improvement initiatives.
• Contribute engineering expertise to projects involving adjacent technologies, including spray drying, agglomeration, encapsulation, blending, drying, material handling, and powder processing.
• Support cross-functional projects requiring integrated process solutions across multiple technologies.
• Share technical knowledge, engineering methods, and lessons learned to strengthen overall Process Technology capabilities.
• Collaborate with Engineering on equipment selection, process design, capital projects, commissioning, and startup activities.
• Partner with Quality, Regulatory, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, EHS, and Commercial teams to ensure successful commercialization and process implementation.
• Provide technical input for equipment specifications, manufacturing requirements, and investment decisions.
• Clearly communicate technical risks, recommendations, and decisions to both technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Manage assigned technical projects and balance priorities across development, commercialization, and manufacturing support activities.
• Apply sound experimental design, statistical analysis, and engineering judgment to support decision making.
• Develop and maintain technical reports, specifications, SOPs, process documentation, and best practices.
• Present technical findings, mentor team members, and contribute to organizational capability development.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

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