{"id":1659919,"url":"https://alion.io/job/land-olakes-rd-natural-cheese-manager","title":"R&D Natural Cheese Manager","company":{"id":1799470,"name":"Land O'Lakes","domain":"landolakesinc.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/landolakesinc","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":95,"open_postings":13,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.385,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":21,"computed_at":"2026-10-19T05:45:15Z"}},"role":"Management","role_family":"Management","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Arden Hills, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":123920,"max":185880,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":185880},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-30","last_verified_at":"2026-10-18T17:04:04Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":19,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":19},"description":"R&D Natural Cheese ManagerThis role is located at our Corporate Office in Arden Hills, MN & will be in-office 5 days/week (M-F). This role does not offer full remote/virtual.\nPosition Overview:\nThe Natural Cheese R&D Product Development Manager serves as a technical thought leader driving business goals and R&D foundational vision across Retail and B2B natural cheese platforms. By bridging technical research with plant reality and commercial priorities, you will leverage your cheese and industry expertise to guide the team, challenge assumptions, and mentor developing scientists. In this role, you will advance a multi-year technical vision-building deep platform knowledge, advancing core and new products, and partnering cross-functionally to drive long-term stability and data-driven innovative solutions.\nKey Responsibilities:\nTeam Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness\nLead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of scientists, fostering a culture of curiosity, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning.\nServe as a technical mentor, strengthening capability in technical learning, experimental design, critical thinking, risk assessment, and data-driven decision making.\nProvide clear direction, candid feedback, and development support while empowering scientists to own execution and outcomes.\nPromote focus, prioritization, timely decision making, and constructive technical debate.\nNatural Cheese Technical Leadership\nProvide deep expertise across the complete cheesemaking lifecycle, from milk standardization and culture/enzyme systems to aging and functionality.\nDeepen organizational knowledge of the chemical, physical, and microbial drivers of core products.\nGuide formulation and process refinements to improve product consistency, functionality, and flavor.\nOperational Partnership & Technical Enablement\nBuild trust-based, collaborative relationships across the manufacturing network-partnering closely with plant managers, quality, engineering, process technology, and operations teams.\nClarify ownership, accountability, and partnership models across functions.\nChampion the use of manufacturing data, advanced analytics, and AI tools to accelerate root-cause analysis, drive yield and cost optimizations, and transition the team from reactive troubleshooting to proactive process control.\nSupport implementation of new technologies and manufacturing capabilities.\nBusiness and Portfolio Leadership offs and actionable recommendations.\nDrive effective use of resources across technical functions.\nAlign technical priorities with business objectives.\nTranslate complex dairy science and manufacturing realities into clear business trade-offs and actionable recommendations.\nDrive effective use of resources across technical functions.\nRequired Experience & Capabilities\nEducation: Bachelor’s degree in Dairy Science, Food Science, Chemical/Biological Engineering, or a related technical discipline.\nTechnical Experience: 8+ years of progressive technical experience in dairy, with an emphasis on natural cheese.\nPeople Leadership: Minimum 3+ years of direct people management experience with a proven track record of coaching, developing talent, and building high-trust team cultures.\nPlant Fluency: Extensive experience collaborating with commercial manufacturing plants, scale-up environments, and plant quality teams.\nCross-Functional Influence: Proven track record of building alignment across diverse stakeholders, navigating technical and operational trade-offs, and driving results through collaboration.\nPreferred Qualifications\nAdvanced Degree: Master’s or Ph.D. in Dairy Science, Food Science, or Fermentation/Bioprocess Engineering.\n Specific Platform Mastery: Direct technical experience with cheddar (block & barrel), whey separation, and membrane filtration technologies.\n Digital & Analytical Acumen: Experience applying statistical process control (SPC), design of experiments (DOE), advanced data analytics, or AI-assisted modeling.\nContinuous Improvement: Formal training in Lean, Six Sigma, or structured Root Cause Analysis methodologies.\nThe salary range for this role is $123,920 - $185,880. In most cases, candidates offered employment can expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges.\nLand 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.\nAbout Land O'Lakes, Inc.\nJoin 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.\nWe provide a broad portfolio of benefits to keep you and your family at your best. Land O'Lakes is Where Your Future Takes Root.\nLand O’Lakes and our global entities support diversity in employment practices.\nNeither Land O’Lakes, nor its affiliates or 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.\nIf you need to submit a reasonable accommodation request to complete the employment application process, please call the HR Solution Center at 844-LOL-HR4U (844-565-4748) M-F 8:00am-4:30pm CT.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5416,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Continuous learning"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Farming & Agriculture","Animal Nutrition","Dairy Products"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-02T03:15:00Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 3","filings_12m":3,"filings_prev_12m":10,"green_card_filings_12m":0,"median_offered_wage_usd":127500,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-15T11:24:14+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":55,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.727,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":19,"expected_fill_days":21,"reasons":["conf:12","win:late","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-19T05:45:15Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":185880,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/land-olakes-rd-natural-cheese-manager","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/land-olakes-rd-natural-cheese-manager.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-19T23:11:04Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":2112,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-20T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1799470},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1799470"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fland-olakes-rd-natural-cheese-manager"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fland-olakes-rd-natural-cheese-manager"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fland-olakes-rd-natural-cheese-manager"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/land-olakes-rd-natural-cheese-manager\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fland-olakes-rd-natural-cheese-manager"}]}