Associate Engineer Foods Processing

Background & Purpose of the Job

Condiments is a critical pillar within Unilever’s Food business, serving millions of American and Canadian consumers daily, led by its vision to be the “best in class” condiments brand in North America.

As a member of the Condiments R&D team, you will support the R&D activities required to deliver the Condiments program, ranging from innovation, product superiority and margin enhancement. You will work as a member of a cross-functional project team to deliver the brand’s business objectives. As a processing engineer you will work closely with the formulators and cross-functional team to drive

The development of processes and the focus on agendas to increase efficiency through technologies is in the heart of the processing engineer role and the passion for foods in North America. You will be expected to lead the processing development workstream for on time and in full delivery of innovations, renovations and business continuity projects. You will also be devoted to troubleshooting processing issues and contributing to processing optimization or novel technologies that will allow for more efficiency in the North America factories. Serving as the bridge from the global processing development team based in the Hive and the region you will be connected with the Engineers in Supply Chain for Capex discussions where necessary.

Who You Are & What You’ll Do

You love to win, and have fun doing it: You are passionate about product development/processing and you are customer/consumer focused. You are comfortable with multi-tasking and operating in a fast paced, multi-faceted, and multi-cultural environment

You’re a dot connector: You are a problem solver: you break an issue into smaller parts to examine them. You build and manage relationships with cross-functional teams, key stakeholders, and strategic vendor partners to enable progress.

You’re a paradox navigator:  You leverage your technical knowledge and experience, awareness of culinary and product trends and consumer insights to deliver superior new products that meet the project and business deliverables.

You’re a changemaker: You can identify and address emerging issues as well as set and manage priorities and continuously improve processes and practices

What you’ll do:

Support projects:

• Support process development related work streams for on time and in full delivery of regional innovation, renovation, quality improvement and cost optimization projects.

• Supports the experimental production of products in the pilot plant, Unilever factories, and contract manufacturers. Issues trial reports and updates stakeholders as appropriate.

• Collects and directs pilot plant and manufacturing data, statistically interprets results and proposes scientifically sound next steps (with appropriate assistance and support).

• Supports commercialization of new products during launch, monitoring and improving process capability of the factory to consistently deliver products within specifications.

• Employs fundamental engineering principles to troubleshoot and continuously improve processing of Unilever products.

• Supports the pilot plant safety, food safety and waste reduction programs.

Develop products:

• Independently design products against simple product briefs, design/execute test protocols for the various technical aspects of projects as required (e.g., prototype development and scale-up, pilot plant operations, factory trials, analytical testing, etc.)

• Develop and refine processing specifications from scale up through commercialization

• Prepare and reviews engineering documents (Equipment specs, process flow diagrams, etc.) for key projects and collaborates with raw material/equipment suppliers to ensure best practice designs.

Provide technical and product guidance

• Actively participate and/or represent R&D in cross functional meetings.

• Assess feasibility of new ideas and troubleshoot activities where processing knowledge is essential.

• Support technical investigations using root-cause analysis and problem-solving techniques as required for existing and new products.

Establish and maintain internal and external working relationships

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with R&D, Supply Chain and Marketing teams, customers, suppliers, and key stakeholders.

• Collaborates with the Global R&D Processing teams to adapt technologies for NA and roll out global process improvement and digital processing initiatives.

What You’ll Need To Succeed

Education/Experience

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, or equivalent degree.

• 1-3 years of experience in food processing/chemical engineering experience including internships preferred

• Experience operating in regulations (such as FDA), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) as well as Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs).

• Possess basic technical knowledge of processing and scale up in foods a plus.

• Strong digital background in MS Office (Outlook, OneDrive, Excel) and/or other analytical tool.

• SAP (Product Lifecycle Management), and other related specification systems is a plus

Technical Project Management

• Ability to independently execute tasks and projects with moderate complexity

• Ability to develop, plan, conduct, and coordinate process development initiatives across multiple projects/tasks.

• Working knowledge in use of ingredients, formulation, process, and product design principles.

• Fully operational in process flow design principles

• Ability to analyze and interpret data with guidance on final conclusions.

• Working knowledge of experimental design, root cause analysis and problem-solving techniques.

• Good understanding of manufacturing.

Communication

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

• Ability to construct trial/lab reports and presentations, including making recommendations.

• Ability to present information to both technical and non-technical audiences.

What We Can Offer You

Culture for Growth | Top Notch Employee Health & Well Being Benefits | Every Voice Matters | Global Reach | Life at Unilever | Careers with Purpose | World Class Career Development Programs | Check Out Our Space | Focus On Sustainability

Pay: The pay range for this position is $59,300 to $88,900. Unilever takes into consideration a wide range of factors that are utilized in making compensation decisions including, but not limited to, skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, qualifications and education, and other business and organizational needs. 

Bonus: This position is bonus eligible. 

Benefits: Unilever employees are eligible to participate in our benefits plan. Should the employee choose to participate, they can choose from a range of benefits to include, but is not limited to, health insurance (including prescription drug, dental, and vision coverage), retirement savings benefits, life insurance and disability benefits, parental leave, sick leave, paid vacation and holidays, as well as access to numerous voluntary benefits. Any coverages for health insurance and retirement benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents. 

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At Unilever, inclusion is at the heart of everything we do. We welcome applicants from all walks of life and are committed to creating an environment where everyone can thrive/succeed. All applicants will receive fair and respectful consideration, and we actively support the growth and development of every employee.

Unilever is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities.

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Employment is subject to verification of pre-screening tests, which may include drug screening, background check, credit check and DMV check.

If you are an individual with a disability in need of assistance at any time during our recruitment process, please contact us at NA.Accommodations@unilever.com. Please note: This email is reserved for individuals with disabilities in need of assistance and is not a means of inquiry about positions or application statuses. The Protected Veterans or Individuals with Disabilities AAP narratives are available for inspection by any employee or applicant for employment Monday through Friday during normal business hours at establishment.