Principal Scientist, Plant Based Yogurt

Everyone on our Research & Innovation team shares a passion for innovation, new processes, new formulations, new packaging, and new ways of thinking. By joining this team, you will use your scientific and technological expertise to bring health through food, meet consumers' needs, and nurture business growth. We are looking to hire a Principal Scientist based in Louisville, CO.

In this role, you will be responsible for:

Leverage deep scientific expertise to support and build on the technical development and excellence of the Yogurt BU.
• Supporting the Yogurt businesses as a technical lead of Danone's Research & Innovation team through technical leadership, product and process design support, and ingredient functionality mastery.
• Deliver nutritional breakthroughs, protectable technologies, and great-tasting, superior category innovations through expanded technical expertise in Yogurt and Dairy alternative foods, ingredient processing technologies, and functional ingredient interactions.
• Work closely with procurement, engineering, and our supplier base to identify potential innovation, renovation, and productivity opportunities.
• Scoping and developing new partnerships (universities, start-ups, new suppliers) to unlock technology solutions for productivity, product improvements, or new products while ensuring process capability.
• Identifying opportunities for novel, proprietary, patentable strategic research initiatives to develop technologies for the next generation of products in new and adjacent categories.
• Share and teach technical know-how on dairy/yogurt processing, nutrients (incorporation, handling...), and key ingredients such as dairy ingredients, hydrocolloids, fruit preps, etc.
• Develop product formulas, processing procedures, product, and raw material specifications to deliver consistent, high-quality, superior products that support business objectives.
• Independently plan and execute bench, pilot, and plant trials for new and improved products, analyze test results, and effectively translate these into effective next steps that lead to project successes
• Network with the global R&I community to share and bring in best practices from other parts of the world.

The base compensation range for this position is $110,000-165,000 (commensurate with experience). Danone North America additionally offers a performance-based bonus and has a strong benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Prescription Drug Coverage, 401k Plan, Wellness Program, Life Insurance, Tuition Reimbursement, Flexible Time Off, and Paid Parental Bonding Leave, among other benefit plan options. To give our employees flexibility, Danone is a hybrid work environment with opportunities to work both remotely and in the office when desired.

• You will possess one of the following:
  • PhD degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Engineering, or closely related field with at least 10 years of relevant progressive experience
  • Master's degree in Food science, Dairy Science, Engineering, or closely related field with at least 15 years of relevant progressive experience
• Your prior experience must include significant product development and/or research experience supporting dairy, yogurt and/or cultured dairy products.
• You will have a demonstrated track record of successfully commercializing yogurt food products, establishing points of difference from existing products with consumers.
• Knowledge, Understanding, and interpretation of the patent landscape in Dairy and Dairy alternative food products
• You will have the ability to work autonomously to drive technical programs forward

• Strong technical skills in product formulation, industrial processes, ingredient functionality, and product-process interactions; preferred in-depth knowledge of dairy and non-dairy protein and functional ingredient technologies in yogurt and dairy foods processing.
• Knowledgeable in ingredient selection, formulation, processing equipment, and operating conditions for yogurt and high-protein dairy/ dairy alternative food products
• Extensive technical and theoretical knowledge of yogurt science and manufacturing processes
• Strong project management/organization and the ability to advocate and align key stakeholders (including non-technical leadership) on new technology or strategic research initiatives.
• Excellent communication skills (both written and oral) and the ability to interact with all company functions, including R&D, Marketing, Purchasing, and Operations.
• Comfortable operating in the fuzzy front-end area of innovation and passionate about creating, rapid prototyping, developing, and commercializing ideas under tight timelines.

At Danone North America, you'll work with some of the best-known food and beverage brands in the world like Activia, Silk, Two Good, Oikos, evian, and Happy Family. You'll be part of one of the largest Certified B Corps in the world, working together to make sure our brands create real benefits for people, communities, and the planet. We have 6,000+ employees across the U.S. and Canada. Come join our movement for a healthier world: One Planet. One Health BY YOU.

Danone North America doesn't just welcome what makes you unique, we value it. We're proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All hires to our team are based on qualifications, merit and business needs. We recruit, employ, train and promote regardless of race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, genetic characteristic or any other protected status. Faithful to our values of openness and humanism, all of our employees share in the commitment to engage one another with dignity and respect. http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf

https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/OFCCP_EEO_Supplement_Final_JRF_QA_508c.pdf

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