Senior Scientist, Cheese Disruptive Innovation

Within our Corporate Cheese Research and Innovation team located in Denver – Leprino is seeking a Senior Scientist, Disruptive Innovation to drive the next generation of dairy science breakthroughs. This role focuses on non-traditional cheese-making innovations to reduce costs, optimize ingredient functionality, and improve manufacturing processes. You’ll work alongside a highly technical team, but instead of engineering expertise, we need deep dairy science knowledge, especially in dairy ingredient interactions.

At Leprino, starting compensation for this role typically ranges between $106,000 and $128,000. This position has an annual target bonus of 12%.

• Play a leading part in dairy science-driven research to develop new, cost-effective cheese manufacturing technologies beyond traditional make-methods.
• Apply advanced dairy chemistry expertise to ingredient functionality, optimizing protein, fat, and carbohydrate interactions for process efficiency.
• Collaborate with dairy research centers and leverage insights from academia, ensuring cutting-edge innovations translate into real-world production benefits.
• Oversee trials in research and manufacturing plants, ensuring smooth technology transfer while troubleshooting potential scalability challenges.
• Identify and evaluate novel ingredients, enzymes, or processing aids that could enhance cheese properties, improve yields, or lower costs.
• Drive intellectual property development, contributing to patents and proprietary processes that secure a competitive edge.
• Develop disruptive innovations in non-traditional cheese-making, creating groundbreaking processes that reduce manufacturing costs, improve ingredient functionality, and increase profitability. This role is not about product commercialization, it’s about fundamentally changing how cheese is made through scientific advancements.

You Have At Least (Required Qualifications):

• A Bachelor’s Degree in Dairy Science, or a Food Science or Chemistry degree only if you have significant, hands-on experience in the dairy industry, specifically in ingredient functionality, product formulation, or manufacturing processes beyond academic research.
• 4+ years (with Master’s) or 6+ years (with Bachelor’s) of industry experience focused on dairy product development, ingredient functionality, or manufacturing optimization.
• Extensive knowledge of dairy proteins, carbohydrates, and cheese-making technologies, especially in non-traditional processes.
• Strong ability to translate scientific research into commercially viable manufacturing applications.
• Experience in academia, specifically within a Dairy Research Center, is also valued, particularly if the research was conducted in direct collaboration with the dairy industry and focused on applied dairy science, ingredient functionality, or manufacturing processes.

We Hope You Also Have (Preferred Qualifications):

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Dairy Science.
• Experience working in or with large, fully integrated dairy manufacturers, particularly in R&D, process optimization, or disruptive innovation.
• A track record of innovation and intellectual property contributions, such as patents, proprietary technologies, or published research with direct industry applications.
• Familiarity with non-traditional cheese-making processes, including novel fermentation techniques, alternative coagulants, or innovative processing methods.

At Leprino, we believe in equal employment opportunity and make employment decisions based on each individual’s unique talents, experience, skills, and knowledge; we do not discriminate on the basis of any personal characteristics. We know we are better together and are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive culture in which all employees can thrive.

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