Principal Scientist, Butter & Spreads

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Job Title: Principal Scientist, Butter & Spreads
Location: Arden Hills, MN, Midwest United States, USA

Company: Land O Lakes
Industry Sector: Agribusiness
Industry Type: Input Retail, Cooperative and Related Crop Services
Job Type: Full Time

Job Description: As stated in the Land O'Lakes Job Posting policy, all employees who post for an internal opening must inform their current manager at the time they apply.

Our growth relies on our extraordinary talent. Unlock your greatest potential at Land O'Lakes by continuing to make a difference, driving results and growing your career.

Principal Scientist, Butter & Spreads

This role requires working a minimum of 4 days working onsite in our Arden Hills office.

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Principal Scientist to join our Butter & Spreads product development team within the Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods R&D. The ideal candidate will be an expert in fats, oils, and fat continuous systems with a strong background in food science and technology. This role will involve leading research and product development projects, driving innovation and foundational learning, and ensuring the highest quality standards for our products. This role will be a thought-leader for the organization and drive growth through research and technology exploration.

Key Responsibilities:
Build and execute foundational research pipelines. Develop sound research plans, leverage emerging technologies, and incorporate new methodologies to achieve desired results.
Leverage internal and external resources to drive advancement in fat continuous dairy based formulated foods create transformational change. Propose projects that meet business and technical objectives.
Lead and coordinate project activities in the areas of new product development, product/process improvement, and cost savings. Evaluate progress and lead team members towards the achievement of tactical project/business objectives. Use sound experimental methodology, statistics/modeling, and technologies to drive results. Effectively gain alignment and communicate results to stakeholders.
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.

Education and Qualifications:
B.S. Degree in a relevant scientific discipline (e.g., Chemistry, Food Science, Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, or another biological field) - required
Graduate Degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in relevant field preferred
5 or more years of work experience including leveraging technical expertise and having led large initiatives in a professional work environment - required
Proven track record of leading successful R&D research and product development projects and driving technical innovation in the food industry - required
Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple research projects simultaneously - required
Experience with food formulation development, fat continuous systems, emulsions, ingredient functionality, fat crystallization, process optimization, and scale-up challenges for fats and oils. Required
Expertise in advanced analytical techniques, experimental design, data analysis and interpretation for fats and oils - required
Experience in dairy - preferred
Travel requirement - up to 25% - required

Additional Skills:
Expertise in advanced analytical techniques, experimental design, data analysis and interpretation for fats and oils.
Ability to evaluate and apply emerging technologies and develop new methodologies. Interest in exploring new areas and driving transformational change. Ability to leverage statistical design, modeling, and emerging tools in artificial intelligence.
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.

Salary range: $120,880 - $181,320 (in most cases, candidates offered employment can expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges)

Grade:

E15

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Job Post Date: 09/05/25