Processed Cheese Specialist - Colby, WI

Processed Cheese Specialist - Colby, WI
Full-Time | Exempt

Job Summary
The Process Cheese Specialist serves as the technical lead for commercialization, scale-up, and ongoing support of functional and industrial process cheese and cheese sauce formulations. This role partners closely with Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Supply Chain, and Customer Development to ensure formulas are robust, compliant, efficient to manufacture, and aligned with customer expectations.
The position requires strong technical aptitude in dairy and process cheese chemistry, the ability to translate laboratory or pilot concepts into full-scale manufacturing processes, and the capability to troubleshoot production challenges in real time. The Specialist must demonstrate professional communication skills, sound judgment, and a customer‑centric mindset.

Primary Responsibilities
Formulation & Product Development

• Develop, optimize, and maintain functional and industrial process cheese and cheese sauce formulations.
• Conduct formula modifications using existing ingredient systems for enhanced performance and cost efficiency.
• Evaluate ingredient interactions—including proteins, emulsifying salts, fats, stabilizers, and pH systems.

Commercialization & Scale-Up

• Lead scale-up and commercialization of new or modified formulas.
• Conduct structured plant trials, document results, and create corrective action plans.
• Translate R&D formulas into accurate manufacturing instructions and batch sheets.

Regulatory, Validation & Quality Support

• Support FDA Scheduled Process development, process authority filings, and regulatory documentation.
• Interpret challenge studies, microbial results, and validation testing.
• Conduct hazard assessments and verification/validation of food safety control points.
• Ensure complete documentation including Standards of Identity, specifications, COAs, and legal product names.

Production Troubleshooting & Technical Support

• Troubleshoot formulation and processing issues such as melt inconsistencies, texture defects, and viscosity variation.
• Optimize processing conditions: thermal profiles, shear rates, mix times, cooling curves, and hold times.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives related to formula robustness, yield, and operational efficiency.

BOM, ERP & Data Ownership

• Create and maintain Bills of Materials (BOMs) and formula data within ERP systems.
• Perform cost modeling, ingredient equivalency evaluation, and optimization.
• Ensure data accuracy across Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain.

Customer & Cross-Functional Engagement

• Participate in customer-facing meetings regarding product performance, quality, and technical troubleshooting.
• Collaborate with R&D, Commercial, Operations, and Regulatory teams.
• Coordinate first-time production runs and ensure launch readiness.
• Support development and training of Operations and Quality staff.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Food Engineering, Microbiology, or related field.
• 4–7 years of experience in process cheese, dairy ingredients, or canning technical roles.
• Hands-on experience with commercialization, scale-up, and plant trial execution.
• Working knowledge of FDA regulations and dairy Standards of Identity.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and ERP systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with process cheese equipment (cookers, blenders, homogenizers, scraped-surface heat exchangers).
• Knowledge of emulsifying salt systems, melt functionality, and dairy protein chemistry.
• Familiarity with challenge studies, process authority requirements, and regulatory filings.
• Experience with SPC, DOE, and statistical analysis.
• Ability to evaluate functional performance such as melt, stretch, viscosity, and pumpability.

Key Competencies

• Technical problem solving & critical thinking
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Attention to detail & documentation accuracy
• Customer service mindset
• Professional communication
• Project leadership
• Ability to manage multiple priorities

Working Conditions

• Employees in this role may be exposed to food allergens, chemicals, and typical dairy manufacturing environments.
• The position requires the ability to work in production areas, including hot and cold zones and around processing equipment. Minimal travel may be required.

Excited about this role but don’t think you meet every requirement listed? We encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings.

ADM requires the successful completion of a background check. 

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