Director, R&D & Technical Services for Specialty Cheese

At Saputo, our best comes from our people. We're a talented and caring team with a longstanding history of excellence. Since our first days delivering cheese on a bicycle, we've grown into a leading global dairy processor by staying true to the culture that defines us. Each of our employees is committed to uphold our tradition of care, quality, and passion through food, and together, we foster an environment where we can all make contributions that matter-from our manufacturing plants to our office locations and everywhere in-between.
The Director, R&D and Technical Services will provide strategic leadership for the Specialty Cheese categories at Saputo USA including our goat, blue, Italian, and pressed cheese varieties. The person will be responsible for the development of new products or concepts, optimization of current products and processes, and identification of new technologies to enhance Saputo's cheese making operations. Further this position serves as SUSA's technical voice on Specialty Cheese to key stakeholders both internally and externally.
How you will make contributions that matter...

• Lead the development of a robust new product pipeline of customer preferred products. The Director will be a thought leader that tracks both consumer trends and technical innovations to push forward new ways of bringing products to market via process optimizations, new ingredient or equipment technologies, or creative extensions of current portfolio. They will be a strong leader, and cross-functional collaborator with other business teams and stakeholders in the product development process, including category management, culinary, marketing, packaging, and sales.
• Provide technical support and leadership to operations team as change agent to drive efficiencies in the cheese make process, quality improvement, and execution of new or innovative products. Provide technical assistance on quality issues as needed and support the engineering team with capital project feasibility and implementation.
• Ensure a consistent internal and external face for Specialty Cheese by building relationships with internal teams, suppliers, key customer contacts, industry groups, and universities. Attend and build a network of technical resources throughout the industry by engaging and leveraging the resources of our vendors and university partners have at their disposal.
• Support Operations in developing and executing manufacturing budgets. Validate financial impacts related to recipe, product or process opportunities or changes. Proactively support operations by identifying recipe optimization strategies and executing such.
• Establish internal processes to ensure that plants are producing product consistent to expectations.
• Ensure that internal capabilities are in place for chemical verification of Saputo and competitor products. Provide direction for appropriate testing protocols.
• Act as technical leader with commercial and Intellectual Property legal matters. Monitor industry IP and bring forth recommendations based on information in public domain. Create processes to develop and protect our internal trade secrets and assist with the filing of patents when applicable.
• Maintain strong relationships with key ingredient suppliers (i.e., culture manufacturers) to ensure the division is current with best recipe options on the market.
• Maintain strong relationships with key cheese and dairy universities to ensure that the division is current in research and potential future technical opportunities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

You are best suited for the role if you...

• Have a minimum of ten years of R&D and technical service experience in the cheese/dairy industry or business-related experience with dairy product development for consumer product industry and management of technical operations.
• Have a bachelor's degree in Dairy Science, Food Science, Dairy Manufacturing, Chemistry, or related field. MS highly recommended and PhD. Preferred.
• Have strong leadership skills with a proven ability to develop and lead teams to drive results.
• Have a blend of strong technical and financial acumen to identify projects feasibility and ROI.
• Have strong understanding of commercial dynamics that drive business profitability and resource allocation to achieve optimum results.
• Are efficient in evaluation of cost-benefit analysis.
• Can interpret technical information and in turn lead and guide projects in an efficient and disciplined manner.
• Can collaborate and persuade across multiple functional areas to effectively build consensus upwards, downwards, and laterally within the organization.
• Demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Are proficient in MS Office.
• Can travel up to 50%.

We support and care for our employees by providing them with...

• Development opportunities that enhance you career fulfillment.
• Meaningful compensation & benefits that help you care for your family.
• Opportunities to contribute to your community and enhance the lives of others through Saputo products.

Saputo is among the top three cheese producers in the USA and one of the largest producers of extended shelf-life and cultured dairy products. We have a diversified product portfolio with well-known retail brands, such as Friendship Dairies, Frigo Cheese, Montchevre, Stella and Treasure Cave, and a strong foodservice presence, partnering with chain restaurants and broadline distributors. Thanks to our countrywide footprint and national and international distribution networks, we're proud to bring our best to our customers and, consumers and have plenty of opportunities for our employees to grow in their own way. And we do it while also striving to build a healthier future for our people and the communities where we operate, guided by our values and the Saputo Promise. To learn more about Saputo in the USA, please click here. (http://saputo.com/en/our-products/usa-sector)
Join the Saputo Dairy USA team to make your contributions matter every day!
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Saputo Cheese USA Inc. and Saputo Dairy Foods USA, LLC are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you'd like more information on your EEO rights under law, please visit www.EEOC.gov.
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