Dairy Foods R&D On-Call

Dairy Foods R&D On-Call Department: Dairy Foods R&D Reports To: Director, Enterprise Technology / Dairy Foods R&D Leadership Location: Arden Hills, MN (Hybrid) Assignment Duration: As needed Position Summary: The On-Call R&D resource provides flexible leadership and technical support across the Dairy Foods R&D organization, stepping in where needed to maintain continuity on critical projects, capital initiatives, and manufacturing support activities. This role flexes across functional areas—including process technology, product development, and other R&D disciplines, to fill gaps created by employee leaves of absence or shifting business priorities. The individual may travel to manufacturing plants to provide on-the-ground technical support and serves as a key point of contact for cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, and Marketing teams, ensuring critical business, innovation, and project work continues without disruption. Key Responsibilities Team Leadership & Resource Management Provide day-to-day leadership and prioritization for the Process Technology team. Coordinate workload, project assignments, and technical support activities. Facilitate team meetings, project reviews, and leadership communications. Ensure timely escalation of risks, resource constraints, and business impacts. Support employee development and coaching as needed during the interim coverage period. Technical Leadership Provide technical oversight for dairy process technologies Review and approve technical recommendations and process designs. Ensure application of sound engineering and dairy science principles. Innovation & Commercialization Support commercialization of new products, ingredients, and processing technologies. Partner with R&D teams to manage pilot, scale-up, and plant implementation activities. Ensure successful transfer of technology from development to production. Drive execution of strategic innovation programs and technical workstreams. Manufacturing Support Provide technical consultation to manufacturing facilities. Support process troubleshooting, yield improvement, and quality enhancement initiatives. Lead or participate in cross-functional problem-solving teams. Ensure critical manufacturing issues receive prompt technical guidance. Other responsibilities within the Dairy Foods R&D organization may be requested depending on candidate skill set and organizational requirements. Qualifications Needed: Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Food Science, Dairy Science, or related technical field. 15+ years of dairy manufacturing, process engineering, or product development experience. Demonstrated knowledge of dairy unit operations and processing technologies. Strong project management and cross-functional leadership skills. Excellent communication and stakeholder management capabilities. Prior people and technical leadership experience. The compensation for this role is $80/hr. - $110/hr. In most cases, candidates offered employment can expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges. 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. Land O'Lakes does not use Automated Decision-Making Technology, as defined by California law, to substantially replace human decision-making or make significant decisions about applications for employment or contracting opportunities.