<span>Principal Scientist, Co-Drying &amp; Dry Blending</span>

Dairy Farmers of America - Springfield, MO

Full-time - Senior

Springfield, MO

1,001-5,000 employees

Food Manufacturing

About the position

The Principal Scientist for Co-Drying & Dry Blending at Dairy Farmers of America is responsible for the development and commercialization of co-dried and dry blended dairy products and flavors. This role involves leveraging dairy science research and innovation to create new products, improve processes, and scout for new technologies. The position is key in driving organic growth through the monetization of opportunities and innovation pipelines, ensuring that products meet customer expectations in taste, functionality, and nutrition.

Responsibilities

• Research dairy science, food science, and equipment to innovate new technologies and develop intellectual property for DFA.
• Develop new wet and dry dairy systems, dairy flavors, dairy emulsions, and solutions using DFA's ingredient options and manufacturing capabilities.
• Utilize DFA's drying and dry blending network to enhance the value of dried dairy products.
• Work with engineering and process technology to expand drying, dry blending, and agglomeration capabilities.
• Reformulate products to reduce costs and build flexible formulation models.
• Perform applications testing to ensure products exceed customer expectations.
• Utilize sensory science tools to provide data points demonstrating product expectations are met.
• Conduct pilot plant testing for successful scale-up for manufacturing.
• Drive commercialization of new products by partnering with process technology teams.
• Support customers in scale-up and commercialization efforts.
• Operate pilot plant equipment for testing and scaling up applications.
• Develop effective concepts for benchtop sessions to generate customer wins.
• Support sales in understanding customer needs and strategies for solutions.
• Initiate action plans to develop solutions and capabilities.
• Inspire customers through demonstrations of unique products and applications.
• Partner with sales to anticipate customer needs and innovative ideas.
• Provide technical and applications expertise to support customers.
• Drive opportunities to commercialization and close with customers.
• Utilize product lifecycle management (PLM) processes and adhere to Scientific Development Standards.
• Effectively use CRM tools to manage project milestones and track KPIs.
• Collaborate with technical sales and customer support to solve customer challenges.
• Contribute to technical content and review presentations for sales and marketing.
• Provide timely and relevant reporting to leadership.
• Apply strong knowledge of DFA's capabilities and differentiate from competitors.
• Demonstrate a continuous learning mindset and influence others.

Requirements

• B.S. Degree in food, dairy, or biological science related discipline; Masters or PhD desirable.
• 8+ years of industry experience in R&D.
• Proven career advancement in dairy flavors, natural products, and cheese sauces.
• Demonstrated staff leadership attributes or management experience.
• Successful track record in new product development with examples of commercialized products.

Nice-to-haves

• Expertise in co-drying and dry blending of dairy and flavors.
• Experience in seasoning and flavor development.
• Knowledge of agglomeration and instantization of powders.
• Strong understanding of dairy science.

Benefits

• Health insurance
• 401k retirement plan
• Paid holidays
• Professional development opportunities
• Flexible scheduling