Associate Process Engineer
Position Summary:
As the Associate Process Engineer, you will lead small projects and support larger projects within Research & Development. Reporting into the Senior Process Engineer, you will develop the practical and critical skills necessary to transition projects from R&D to Supply Chain. You will be focused on developing the requirements for the critical transformations for processes, developing performance-based specifications, and providing the widest possible solution space. You will focus on products in the shelf stable grocery space, and will be focused on consumer benefits and projects designed for profitability, operability, efficiency, and vertical start up.
Position Responsibilities:
- Learn and apply the Methodology of Product/Process/Package Development (MOPD).
- Establish manufacturing processes that accommodate specific consumer and marketplace requirements for new products, while meeting process, quality, and cost objectives.
- Define the physical, chemical, and biological transformations that must occur to produce new food products.
- Support project projects under the direction of your supervisor.
- Execute bench-top and pilot plant testing to develop prototypes and prove hypotheses.
- Understand the basics of Design of Experiments and execute
- Analyze results of experiments to provide process recommendations.
- Prepare results for review with guidance of supervisor and develop presentations and communications to present the findings to management.
- Maintain accurate and complete records and distill them to Intellectual Property.
- Monitor consumer trends and wants/needs within the food industry.
- Support processing core competencies by capturing information and other forms of knowledge and transfer technical insights to manufacturing facilities.
Position Qualifications:
- BS Chemical, Food, or Biological Engineering
- Minimum 1-year related working experience or Internship experience.
- Experience with process technology documentation, including Process Flow Sheets, Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams, Mass and Energy Balances, and Process Control Strategies.
- Knowledge of applied statistics.
- Experience using and maintaining a lab notebook.
- Structured problem-solving skills.
- Technical judgment and prioritization skills.
- Experience with a Deliverables and Success Criteria-based environment.
- Understand risk and values safety/food safety.
- Up to 25% travel
Physical Requirements:
- Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. occasionally; lift up to 25 lbs. regularly.
- Work extensively in pilot plant and or production plant floor environment.
- Exposure to manufacturing environments for periodic extended workdays to include: loud noise, heat, cold, wet, and slippery conditions.
- Walking and/or standing for long periods of time.
- Climbing to various heights via stairs or ladders.
- Bending and/or crawling; must be able to move safely and freely around machinery.
- Driving a company or rental vehicle as needed.