Senior Dairy Processing Engineer

Senior Dairy Processing Engineer

The Sr. Dairy Processing Engineer will come in with deep technical expertise in fluid milk membrane separations (especially ultrafiltration), thermal processing (HTST/HHST/UHT), and end-to-end milk unit operations—from raw milk receiving through packaging. This role is a hands-on technical authority who will be integral to process technology innovation as well as troubleshooting manufacturing issues, optimizing process capabilities and product quality, supporting pilot-to-plant scale-up, and serving as a trusted partner to Operations, Manufacturing, and Quality.

Responsibilities:

• Serve as a go-to technical expert for fluid milk separation, standardization, homogenization, pasteurization systems (HTST/HHST/UHT), and packaging performance.
• Diagnose and resolve process and product issues.
• Partner with Operations/Manufacturing/Quality to drive safe, compliant, and reliable production and troubleshoot process deviations, and identify root causes for quality issues.

Process design, scale-up, and optimization:

• Define critical process parameters, key performance indicators, and control plans.
• Design, coordinate, and execute pilot and commercial-scale plant trials.
• Own process capability improvements and provide technical input to capital projects and equipment selection.
• Provide subject-matter expertise on OEM platforms and engineering approaches.

Technical Advocacy:

• Proactively identify opportunities for process optimization that improve efficiency, sustainability, yield or product shelf-life.
• Lead initiatives and manage stakeholders across Engineering, Quality, and Supply Chain.

Milk chemistry, physical chemistry, and product quality:

• Apply deep knowledge of milk composition and how processing impacts chemistry, physical properties, and functional performance of milk and its components.
• Partner with Product Development and Operations on formulation/processing choices for fluid dairy products, including shakes and other forms (sensory, taste, texture, stability, shelf-life).

Analytics & data-driven decision making:

• Define plans and execute and interpret analytical testing results tied to processing and shelf-life: milk composition chemistry, rheology, chromatographic/volatile profiling and other relevant analytical methods.
• Establish and improve SOPs, troubleshooting playbooks, and process data reviews

People leadership:

• Individual contributor to start. Will build and develop a team of 1–4 (e.g., process engineers, dairy scientists, technicians).
• Build strong cross-functional relationships and communicate clearly from plant floor to leadership level.

Skills/qualifications required:

• MS in Dairy Science, Food Engineering, Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or closely related field with a focus on dairy processing and/or thermal processing.
• 5-10 years of progressive experience in fluid dairy processing spanning pilot through commercial manufacturing.
• Demonstrated expertise in: HTST/HHST and/or UHT processing of fluid milk (and/or cream) and practical plant troubleshooting.
• End-to-end milk unit operations: raw receiving → clarification/separation → standardization → homogenization → pasteurization/aseptic processing → packaging.
• Ultrafiltration of milk and/or dairy membrane separations (MF/UF/NF/RO familiarity as a plus).
• Strong technical competence in dairy physical chemistry and processing impacts on proteins/fats/enzymes.
• Proven ability to partner with Operations/Manufacturing/Quality in a high-accountability environment.
• Experience with aseptic systems and packaging interactions (commercial aseptic operations strongly preferred).
• Track record of leading cross-functional root-cause investigations (e.g., flavor defects, oxidation, shelf-life failures, stability issues).
• Experience in capital projects preferred.
• Familiarity with regulatory expectations and operator training frameworks for pasteurization systems preferred.

Position location:

Chicago, IL

Reports to:

Sr. Director, R&D

Travel requirements: 40-50% travel to our plants

Exempt/nonexempt:
Exempt

Base pay offered may vary depending on geography, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position, is offered.

Base pay range: $135,000 - $165,000 USD