Job Title: R&D Scientist
Department: R&D/Innovation
Job Classification: Staff
Reports to: R&D Director
Location(s): Hilbert, WI
Job Summary:
The R&D Scientist collaborates cross-functionally with R&D/Innovation, Sales, Procurement, Finance, and Quality Assurance to drive product development, functionality, and commercial readiness. Key responsibilities include leading product optimization initiatives, conducting material risk assessments, mentoring team members, and managing projects with a strong focus on ROI, operational efficiency, and successful commercialization. The Scientist designs and executes experiments, evaluates emerging technologies, and supports sensory analysis and shelf-life studies to ensure product quality and performance. Leveraging strong planning, technical, and project management skills, this role effectively coordinates activities from concept through production implementation. Additionally, the R&D Scientist may directly supervise Technologists and Technicians, providing leadership, coaching, performance management, and professional development support to foster a high-performing team.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Provides strong expertise and technical leadership on new product development, functionality in end products, and commercializing them in collaboration within R&D/Innovation, and cross-collaboration with commercial (sales), procurement, finance, and quality assurance departments.
- Supervises and coaches Technologists and Technicians
- Conducts optimization projects based on sound understanding and knowledge of OINA capabilities
- Mentors and upskill others on technical leadership, project management, material risk assessment
- Initiates and drives projects, focusing on ROI, efficiency to address short-term and long-term business needs & support other projects as needed
- Develops and commercializes high quality, innovative, efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable cheese solutions
- Contributes to determine new approaches within existing business and to identify new business opportunities
- Conducts pilot and production plant experiments to test and develop new products and processes.
- As necessary, conducts laboratory evaluations on composition and functionality of products and ingredients
- Investigates new technologies for producing safe, high quality food products
- Participates in on-going sensory/organoleptic analyses and shelf-life studies of Ornua products as required
- Uses planning and organization, time management, and project management skills to deliver results
- Establishes control limits for production items and manages process/formulation changes.
- All other responsibilities as assigned
Required Skills and Abilities:
- Self-motivated aptitude with a progressive approach and a sense of urgency.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to work cooperatively in a team environment.
- Adept to transfer scientific knowledge to operational and practical applications.
- Excellent verbal/written communication skills
- Excellent analytical, and organizational skills
- Write professional reports, prepare presentations and other business correspondence
- Work as a member of a team
- Excellent people skills with ability to work with individuals from different disciplines
- Proficient computer skills.
- Able to manage time effectively to meet deadlines and adjust appropriately to changes in priorities.
- Ability to travel 25% of their time to other OINA locations, customer sites and industry events
- Willing and able to taste and conduct sensory analysis on a variety of dairy and nondairy food products
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Food, Dairy, or related scientific field with at least 5 years of industrial experience or advanced degree (MS/PhD) in closely related scientific field with at least 3 years of experience and/or acquired knowledge and experience in the field of dairy ingredients and non-dairy ingredients and their quality, functionality and interactions within cheese matrix.
- Experienced in developing standardized/non-standardized processed cheese or imitation cheese
- Experience working in application lab, pilot plant systems and with laboratory instrumentation.
- Experience working in Food industry - B2B product development, formulation, and commercialization of cheese/dairy/food products
- Familiarity with FDA Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) cheese standards, and dairy products guidelines, definitions, nutritional and labeling claims.
- Experience or familiarity working with starch systems, protein matrices and/or plant-based cheese
- Lean Six Sigma experience/certification or likewise preferred
- Culinary experience designing custom applications with custom cheese ingredients will be a plus
- Working knowledge of sensory science and texture analysis techniques