Vice President, Research & Development

fairlife, LLC is a Chicago-based dairy company that creates great-tasting, nutrition-rich and value-added products to nourish consumers.

With more than $1B in annual retail sales, fairlife’s growing portfolio of delicious, lactose-free, real dairy products includes: fairlife® ultra-filtered milk; Core Power® High Protein Shakes, a sports nutrition drink to support post-workout recovery; fairlife® nutrition plan™, a nutrition shake to support the journey to better health.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Coca-Cola company, fairlife, LLC has been recognized by both Fast Company and Nielsen for its industry leading innovation.

The company is driven by its values of caring for people, the animals that supply us with milk, and the planet. By providing nourishing products, implementing stringent care standards for animals, and stewarding efficient operations and responsible packaging, fairlife, LLC puts a focus each day on making a positive impact for all. 

To learn more about fairlife and its complete line of products, please visit fairlife.com.

job purpose: The VP, R&D position is vital in the development of fairlife’s Research and Development program and key to the company’s innovation and continued growth. This position will be responsible for conducting applied research in dairy food process and nutrition. The VP, R&D will lead a team of scientists in the development of innovating projects on time and on budget and will be directly involved with the science and nutrition divisions of Coca Cola, including product development, packaging, and sustainability. This role will be responsible for a variety of tasks that include executing the company’s overall technology vision, managing the appropriate development methodologies, and creating an organizational structure that will drive a high performing development team to deliver top-quality solutions to the market. In addition, this role will be responsible for attracting, developing, and retaining top talent for the R&D function. This role is key to the development and expansion of intellectual and proprietary assets for the organization, so a passion for generating new ideas and creating patents is key.

responsibilities:

• Responsible for continued innovation and discovery of new ingredients/functional foods
• Research and develop new processes for fractionation of milk and techniques to improve stability and texture of beverages
• Research health benefits of different food components
• Assist in patent research and patent development
• Responsible for the coordination with research centers and universities
• Research new analytical techniques and equipment
• Analyze trends/consumer concerns and perceptions regarding foods, ingredients, and micronutrients
• Direct collaboration with science divisions of Coca Cola including science and nutrition, product development, packaging, and sustainability
• Study scientific research journals to stay current on recent developments in nutritional beverage processing and packaging and related disciplines
• Provide technical support to all processing facilities for the fairlife organization and its subsidiaries and customers
• Educate and train processing and quality control divisions
• Lead in-depth research on raw milk as an ingredient or its components
• Create comprehensive records of all research
• Develop world class dairy/food applied research center
• Develop new processes for manufacturing novel nutritional products
• Maximize intellectual property in processing or recipes of wellness foods

skills/qualifications required:

• Ph.D. in Dairy Science/Technology, Food Science/Technology, or related discipline required
• Minimum 10 years of experience in dairy/food research at a Director/Manager level or above
• Experienced in publishing research work in peer reviewed journals required
• Excellent communication and organizational skills required
• Experience leading and developing teams required
• Previous experience developing and managing budgets
• Working knowledge on development of intellectual property and writing patents
• Ability to handle ambiguity and work in a fast paced, entrepreneurial environment

working conditions and physical requirements:

• Up to 8 hours sitting/standing/walking
• Ability to lift up to 20 lbs. as necessary

food safety requirements:

• Notify supervision of any repairs or adjustments that are required that may affect product quality or food safety.

• Understand, observe, and comply with the handling and usage of the color-coded container policy while in the Production Areas.
• Perform all duties necessary to meet Company, Customer and/or Government requirements/standards as prioritized by the Company.
• Ability to initiate action to prevent the occurrence of nonconformities relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the product, processes, quality system, or safety system.
• Identify and record any problems relating to Food Safety and the Quality of the ingredients, processes, quality system, or safety system.
• Control further processing or delivery of nonconforming product in terms of Food Safety and Quality issues until the deficiency or unsatisfactory condition has been corrected.
• In the event of absence, another employee with the same skill level will assume the duties and responsibilities as required.

position location: Chicago, IL (onsite)

reports to: Chief Science Officer

travel requirements: 40%, including domestic and international travel

exempt/nonexempt: exempt

fairlife, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All qualified applicants and employees will be given equal opportunity. Selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

In addition to its nondiscrimination commitment, the Company will also provide reasonable accommodation of qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the Company. If you have a disability and would like to request accommodation in order to apply for a position with us, please email [email protected].