Principal Research Specialist Separation and Purification Technology
FrieslandCampina has a strong position in dairy processing with the use of separation and purification technologies, such as membrane filtration and chromatography. In the Global Process Technology team, we bring separation technology from theory to practice. To strengthen our membrane separation and purification cluster, we are looking for a person who is a thought leader in the field of separation and/or purification processes, in particular membrane filtration, and can come up with the next generation of (membrane) separation processes. Are you an experienced research engineer with strong affinity for research and development? Then join us as a Principal Research Specialist Separation and Purification Technology within the Department of Global Process Technology in Wageningen.
What we ask
• You have a master’s degree in (Bio-)Chemical Engineering, Process Technology, Food Technology, or equivalent study direction.
• You have a PhD degree and at least 10-15 years or relevant working experience, or otherwise 15-20 years of relevant working experience in particular in separation technologies such as membrane filtration. Experience in the dairy or food industry is a pre.
• You have a proven track record in developing innovative solutions to separation and/or purification problems, preferably in the dairy or food industry.
• You have a thorough understanding of the theoretical concepts underlying separation technologies, in particular membrane filtration, but also know what it means to apply these technologies in production process.
• You are a creative, critical thinker, who does not mind challenging the status-quo. You are honest and open. You guide and coach colleagues, share your knowledge and the results of your work with colleagues and relevant stakeholders.
• You bring us something that we don’t have: We expect that you will challenge our current roadmap, help us setting the agenda for the next decade and that you bring in fresh ideas.
• Willingness to travel (inter)national to production sites, suppliers, and partners.
• Excellent communication skills in English.
If your profile does not exactly match our job description, but you think you will make an impactful contribution to the field of dairy separation technology, we encourage you to apply and demonstrate this in your cover letter.
What we offer
- Unique company culture of Dutch heritage and international presence;
- We offer great work life balance, and competitive salary & benefits package so you can enjoy it;
- Workweek of 40 hours, competitive pension scheme, holiday allowance of 8%, bonus scheme, flexible working hours and the ability to work from home;
- Diverse training and mentoring programs to help you grow on your own professional journey;
- Exceptional support of (cross disciplinary) movement within the company to broaden your knowledge and growth paths;
- A friendly and informal working environment, yet professional team members as sparring partners;
- Autonomy and trust to create longer term impact that helps bring better nutrition to the world;
Vacancy description
• As a Principal Research Specialist Separation and Purification Technology, you work on the development of the next generation separation processes, the optimization of our current separation units, especially membrane filtration, and on tailoring membrane and chromatography processes for the development of new products.
• You have a strong external network, are aware of new developments and translate relevant (scientific) developments in the field into new opportunities for our business. In your field, you are considered a leading authority. You identify new opportunities and translate these into technology applications that fit our business strategy. You issue state-of-the-art advice towards key stakeholders, program managers, project managers and the technology management team, at your request or at your own initiative.
• You make impactful contributions to multidisciplinary innovation projects and contribute to our strategic programs. You initiate new projects, both internally as well as externally in open innovation collaborations.
• Where needed, you initiate and coordinate projects on laboratory or pilot-plant scale in Wageningen, or design plant trials for our factories directly. You critically analyze the results, perform statistical analyses where needed, and disseminate the results through presentations, reports and in dialogue with key stakeholders.
• You support the growth of (junior) colleagues by coaching them, giving feedback and sharing your expertise, both on hard and soft skills.
• You bring our business a step further by giving solicited and unsolicited input on our technology strategy.
• You collaborate with colleagues with diverse backgrounds from, amongst others, process technology, product development, supply chain & production, marketing, and sales. You report to the cluster manager Membrane Separation and Purification.
Team Details
See all colleagues on LinkedInYou will become part of the team Membrane Separation & Purification within the department of Global Process Technology, based in Wageningen, the Netherlands. Our Innovation Centre in Wageningen consists of four parts: a large pilot plant with cooling and storage warehouses and three buildings in which the offices and the strictly hygienic laboratories are housed. Pedestrian bridges and atriums connect the different parts with each other. The centre also includes an experience centre, an innovation kitchen and a test bakery. Here, Consumers, Customers and Employees of FrieslandCampina from all over the world can experience our tasty products. In order to accelerate and strengthen our innovation process, we also work together with innovation partners such as Wageningen University & Research Centre, other knowledge institutes, our member dairy farmers, customers and suppliers in the Innovation Centre.
About our team and office:
- A multidisciplinary team — highly skilled, focused on making our best work together
- A friendly environment — with wonderful cafeteria, free milk, cheese and Lattiz coffee
- Sustainability - BREEAM certified sustainable building & and in view of the rise of electric means of transport, there are charging points for electric cars, scooters and / or bicycles.
About your work-life balance:
- The option to work from home — we learned to master Hybrid working
- Travel reimbursement — if you don't live around the corner
Learn more about our innovation center here: https://www.frieslandcampina.com/nl/innovatie/rd-en-innovation-centres/