Senior Process Development Specialist (all genders)

Senior Process Development Specialist responsible for developing and optimizing dairy processes with a focus on preservation, CIP and process design. You support new line development and improvement of existing processes, using process data and digital tools to drive performance.

• Vacaturelocatie (kort): Wageningen, NLD, 6708WH
• Contract Hours: 32-40
• Een werkweek van 32 tot 38 uur

What we ask

• We’re looking for someone experienced, curious and energetic who loves technology and enjoys turning good ideas into something that actually works.
• You have at least 7 years of relevant experience in dairy or food process technology and a strong background in process development. You bring solid technical expertise in Preservation and CIP technology and understand how technology can make a real difference in our factories.
• You don’t need to have a team reporting to you to be a leader.
• You are comfortable taking the lead on complex and highly visible projects, bringing people together, creating a clear plan and keeping things moving. You know how to work with different perspectives and priorities, build trust with stakeholders and create alignment around a common goal.
• You enjoy working with people from Technology, R&D, Engineering, Operations, Quality and our factories. You can have a deep technical conversation one moment and step back to see the bigger picture the next.
• You are naturally curious and not afraid to ask, “Why do we do it this way?”
• You like finding better ways of working, exploring new technologies and challenging ideas when there is an opportunity to do things differently. You use data to understand what is really happening, but you also bring judgement, creativity and practical thinking to turn opportunities into action.
• Most importantly, you want to be part of building what comes next.
• You bring people with you, enjoy solving difficult problems together and take pride in seeing an idea move from a conversation into real impact in our factories.

What we offer

At FrieslandCampina you work on strong, globally loved brands enjoyed by millions every day, like Friso, Campina, Chocomel and Frisian Flag. As a farmer-owned cooperative, we combine an international environment with a clear social and sustainable purpose. We support your growth through training, coaching and internal career opportunities. With trust and autonomy, you can make real impact.

Employment benefits:

• Salary between €5.280 and €7.166 gross per month (full-time), depending on experience and fit for the role;
• Een werkweek van 32 tot 38 uur, een eindejaarsuitkering van 5%, bonus van 12,5%, 8% vakantiegeld en een pensioenregeling;
• Hybrid working with flexible working hours, a train card and/or €0.23 per km (max. 30 km one way);
• 200 hours of annual leave, with the option to buy or sell up to 40 hours;
• A laptop, phone and home office equipment to support flexible working.

Vacancy description

As a Senior Process Development Specialist, you will lead the design, development and optimization of dairy processing systems with a strong focus on preservation technology and CIP. You will use data-driven insights to improve process performance, support factory and project teams, and drive the implementation of innovative process solutions across our production network. As a recognized expert, you will provide technical leadership, share knowledge and contribute to building process engineering capability throughout the organization. Your responsibilities are:

• Takes technical ownership of complex process design and development assignments, from defining the process concept through to factory implementation. Coordinates technical input across multiple disciplines and manages the process engineering scope.
• Provides technical guidance and coaching to a wider group of employees and contributes to building process engineering capability across the organization.
• Converts product, production and operational requirements into practical dairy process concepts and designs. Develops solutions for new processing lines as well as modifications and improvements to existing installations. Uses process knowledge, trials and performance information to validate and refine designs.
• Develops and improves dairy preservation processes with focus on process performance, product quality, food safety, reliability and operational robustness.
• Applies fundamental CIP and hygienic engineering principles when developing new processes and modifying existing production lines. Identifies opportunities to improve cleaning effectiveness, cleaning time, water and chemical use and overall process performance.
• Uses process data to understand equipment and process behaviour and identify improvement opportunities. Develops and applies dashboards, visualizations and performance indicators to make process performance transparent and support fact-based technical decisions.
• Provides process technology leadership for projects typically below €10M, depending on project complexity and scope.

The role sits within the Global Supply Chain Technology team and works closely with R&D, Engineering, Operations, Quality and factories.

The Senior Process Development Specialist will strengthen expertise in dairy process development, preservation, CIP and data-driven process improvement.