Principal Scientist, Dry Dairy Seasonings & Ingredients at Land O'Lakes, Inc. in ARDEN HILLS, Minnesota

Job Description:

Principal Scientist, Dry Dairy Seasonings & Ingredients

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Principal Scientist to join our Seasonings & Ingredients team within the Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods R&D + Culinary organization. This role will focus on creating and executing foundational research projects aimed at driving innovation and competitiveness of our team and business in spray-dried dairy-based seasonings. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in food-related research and spray-dried product development, excellent project management skills, and a passion for continuous learning and innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own the design and execution of foundational research projects to develop novel insights and enhance the technical capabilities of the Seasonings & Ingredients R&D team.


• Lead collaboration with cross-functional R&D and non-R&D teams, including Food Chemistry, Process Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing, Sales, Quality, and Operations, to ensure alignment and integration of projects with business objectives.


• Mentor and train other team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and development across diverse perspectives and skill sets.


• Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge in the seasonings and ingredients industry.


• Communicate project progress, findings, and recommendations to senior leadership and stakeholders.

• Graduate Degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering) with a minimum of 10 years of experience in food ingredient research and/or spray-dried product development, or equivalent experience.


• Proven track record of leading successful R&D projects and driving technical innovation in the food industry.


• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple research projects simultaneously.


• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, ability to clearly communicate scientific concepts to non-scientific stakeholders, and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.


• Ability to effectively and professionally represent Land O'Lakes R&D capabilities and recommendations directly to strategic customers' R&D teams.


• Demonstrated ability to mentor and develop others.

• Expertise in advanced analytical techniques, experimental design, data analysis and interpretation for dry seasonings and ingredients.


• Experience with food formulation development, emulsions, ingredient functionality, process optimization, and scale-up challenges in spray drying.


• Critical and creative problem-solving skills, adaptability to changing priorities, and ability to work effectively under project time-line pressures.


• High level of integrity, professionalism, and business acumen focused on driving positive financial impacts through technology.


• Ability to anticipate, drive, and align cross-functional teams around future technical needs, with technical depth in multiple areas.

Travel required: Less than 10%

Salary: $120,880-$181,320

This role will include relocation assistance where applicable.

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About Land O'Lakes, Inc.

Join us and be part of a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. We have been named a Top Workplace by Indeed and LinkedIn, and to the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list.

Benefits for most full-time roles include medical, dental, vision, PTO, life & disability insurance, education assistance, a 401k and a variety of well-being resources. Most part-time employees are eligible for prorated PTO, holiday pay, employee development programs, prorated education assistance, and a 401(k).

Land O'Lakes, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) M/F/Vets/Disabled. The company maintains a drug-free workforce, including post-employment substance abuse testing pursuant to a Drug and Alcohol Policy.

Neither Land O'Lakes, nor its search firms, will ever contact you and ask for confidential information over the phone or in email. If you receive a call or email like this, please do not provide the information being requested.