R&D Process Engineer

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Job Title: R&D Process Engineer
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: R&D Process Engineer

This role is based in our Arden Hills, MN office with 4-5 days working on-site

The R&D Process Engineer will support process engineering activities across Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods product platforms and manufacturing sites. This position will leverage and grow their dairy processing knowledge to identify and implement cost savings projects by enabling manufacturing network optimization, material yield improvements, or quality improvement. In addition, this role will be tasked with supporting scale-up activities from pilot plant to manufacturing and will help define process design for new and revised products and processes.

Key responsibilities include:

Provides dairy process engineering knowledge support across Dairy Foods product platforms and manufacturing sites
Analyzes manufacturing data and utilizes statistical methods to troubleshoot and/or identify opportunities to ensure manufacturing systems reliably deliver high quality products
Applies engineering principles (mass & energy balances, thermodynamics, and fluid dynamics) for scale-up and process design
Identifies and documents product processing requirements and selection criteria for new process equipment
Collaborates with Operations, Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Marketing, Sales, Regulatory, other R&D functions, and external parties on projects and initiatives
Executes projects related to cost savings, innovation, manufacturing network optimization, material yield improvements, and quality improvements to enable business topline growth
Supports scale-up from pilot plant to manufacturing and defines process design for new, improved, or revised products and processes

Experience and Education

BS degree in Chemical, Mechanical, or other related engineering discipline - required
3 or more years of process engineering work experience; including Strong technical background - required
Ability to travel 10-25% of time - required
Experience working in Food Engineering
Professional Engineer and/or Green Belt Certification
Experience in Dairy Processing
Experience with one or more of the following dairy unit operations or make processes: spray drying, evaporators, membrane filtration, fermentation, cheese make, or crystallization
Experience working in or with manufacturing facilities
Knowledge of foundational engineering and scientific principles
Data-based analytical thinking; understanding of Statistical tools and methods
Familiarity with analytical and physical characterization methods

Salary range: $79,200 - $118,800 (in most cases, candidates offered employment can expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges)

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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.

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Job Post Date: 08/29/25