Sr Manager Process Engineer

US-CO-Louisville

The Sr Manager Process Engineer leads process design, scale-up, validation, and commercialization across dairy, plant-based, cultured, and adjacent food platforms. The role delivers safe, cost-effective, scalable consumer‑preferred solutions and provides technical leadership across R&I, Operations, Quality & Food Safety, Engineering, Procurement, suppliers, and co‑manufacturers.

• Lead process strategy, design, scale-up, validation, and commercialization for complex innovation, renovation, productivity, quality, and capacity programs.
• Apply deep expertise in mixing, thermal and aseptic processing, homogenization, fermentation, filtration, filling, sanitation, controls, and automation.
• Define critical process parameters, operating windows, scale‑up rules, control plans, and risk mitigations; lead resolution of high‑impact manufacturing issues.

• Lead multiple strategic technical programs and own R&I process‑engineering deliverables through stage‑gate, including scope, resources, risks, trials, documentation, and recommendations.
• Design and execute pilot and plant trials, analyze results, and communicate decision‑ready conclusions to technical, operational, and business leaders.
• Build reusable standards, scale‑up playbooks, and lessons learned to improve speed and first‑time‑right commercialization.

• Apply engineering fundamentals, statistical methods, and plant data to optimize unit operations and distinguish process variation from systemic capability gaps.
• Partner with manufacturing teams to establish sustainable operating standards, monitoring, and corrective actions.

• Define process and user requirements for pilot equipment, including hygienic design, utilities, instrumentation, automation, data collection, and cleanability. Work with OPS Engineering to ensure industrial equipment meets desired requirements.
• Guide equipment selection and capital projects from concept through commissioning and start‑up, ensuring product, process, food‑safety, operability, and scale‑up requirements are met.

• Ensure process designs and commercialization plans meet GMP, HACCP, sanitary design, validation, regulatory, and internal food‑safety requirements.
• Partner with Quality & Food Safety to assess risk, resolve deviations, define validation evidence, and review key process and change‑control documentation.

• Mentor technical contributors, deliver training, and build organizational process‑engineering capability without direct supervisory responsibility.
• Serve as a senior subject‑matter expert; influence cross‑functional and global partners; and evaluate suppliers, co‑manufacturers, emerging technologies, and digital tools.

• Work spans office, laboratory, pilot plant, and manufacturing environments and requires plant‑floor presence, appropriate PPE, and approximately 40-50% travel.

The salary range for this position is $116,000 - $167,000 USD. The exact salary offered will depend on several factors, including the candidate's relevant experience, geographic location, internal equity, and market conditions. Danone North America additionally offers a performance‑based bonus and has a strong benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Coverage, 401k Plan, Wellness Program, Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, Flexible Time Off, and Paid Parental…