Process Development Engineer – Food Manufacturing / R&D

Contract Opportunity (Maternity Leave Coverage)

Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. This is primarily an onsite role, with the possibility of working remotely on Mondays and Fridays based on business needs and manager approval.

We are seeking an experienced Process Development Engineer to join our Global Toppings, Creams & Culinary Solutions Center of Excellence (TCCS COE) within the Research, Innovation & Compliance (RIC) organization. This position serves as the engineering technical lead supporting product innovation, process optimization, commercialization, and cost-savings initiatives across multiple food product categories.

This is an exciting opportunity for an engineer with a strong background in food manufacturing, process development, pilot plant operations, and new product commercialization who enjoys collaborating across R&D, Manufacturing, Marketing, and Operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead engineering support for new product development, product renovation, and process optimization projects.

• Develop and optimize manufacturing processes from laboratory through pilot plant and commercial production.

• Design, evaluate, and improve food processing systems to increase efficiency, quality, and manufacturing performance.

• Research, specify, and recommend manufacturing equipment and processing technologies for new and existing production lines.

• Conduct pilot plant trials, production validations, and process scale-up activities while analyzing data and recommending improvements.

• Support manufacturing facilities by troubleshooting production issues and implementing process improvements.

• Partner with equipment vendors, engineering firms, packaging suppliers, and external technical experts to evaluate innovative processing solutions.

• Apply Design of Experiments (DOE), statistical analysis, and engineering principles to solve complex process and product challenges.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, Packaging, Marketing, Sales, and Supply Chain.

• Present technical findings and project updates to leadership and key stakeholders.

• Support continuous improvement, standardization, operational efficiency, and cost reduction initiatives across manufacturing operations.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

• Minimum 5 years of industrial engineering or applied research experience within food manufacturing or consumer packaged goods (Client).

• Demonstrated experience supporting new product development, process development, or process optimization.

• Experience selecting, evaluating, or specifying manufacturing equipment for food production.

• Experience working directly with manufacturing facilities to support production, process improvements, and commercialization efforts.

• Strong knowledge of manufacturing processes, process engineering principles, and continuous improvement methodologies.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to lead cross-functional technical discussions.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, databases, statistical software, and the ability to learn Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with dairy, non-dairy, creams, toppings, emulsions, sauces, or culinary products.

• Experience with homogenization, mixing, heat transfer, pasteurization, or food processing technologies.

• Strong background in pilot plant operations, process scale-up, and commercial manufacturing support.

• Experience utilizing Design of Experiments (DOE) and statistical methods for process development.

• Demonstrated success driving process innovation, operational efficiency, and cost savings.

Work Environment

• Conduct experiments in laboratory, pilot plant, test kitchen, and manufacturing environments.

• Support production trials and commercialization activities at manufacturing facilities.

• Occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.

• Ability to stand for extended periods and work in production environments with varying temperatures, humidity, noise, and food aromas.

• Occasional flexibility for early morning or evening global meetings.

Ideal Candidate

We're looking for an engineer who thrives in a fast-paced R&D environment and has successfully brought food products from concept to commercial production. The ideal candidate has experience working closely with manufacturing plants, leading process improvements, optimizing production systems, and supporting innovative food products through every stage of development. If you enjoy solving technical challenges, collaborating across disciplines, and driving innovation in food manufacturing, we'd love to hear from you.