Sr R&D Engineer

Join a dynamic team of scientists and engineers driving the next generation of beverage innovation. As a Senior R&D Engineer on the Future Coffee Systems team, you will transform ideas into scalable processes, from lab to pilot to plant, delivering better beverages, faster and more sustainably. Your work will directly influence the success of the coffee system for consumers, customers, and partners.

This role will enable Keurig Dr Pepper to maximize the impact of Future Keurig Coffee Systems to consumers, customers, partners, and other key stakeholders. As part of the KDP Future Coffee Systems team, this individual will technical leadership in the development and scale-up of new particle processing technologies. This position partners closely with internal cross functional teams such as project management, quality, marketing, safety, environmental and operations resources, and external partners. The individual will be expected to provide leadership and guidance to fellow scientists and engineers, co-manufacturing teams, and in-house operational team members. This position requires strong skills in critical thinking, collaboration, consumer insights, and the ability to positively influence project direction. This includes process development and scale-up, specifically particle processing unit operations, managing design of experiments, test methods development, communication with key suppliers, partners, and consultants, new ingredients research, and specifications development. Intimate knowledge and demonstrated application of particle engineering, solids handling, processing and characterization techniques will be imperative to be successful in this role.

The individual in this role will:

• Lead the design, development and scale up of coffee processing systems – including, but not limited to, roasting, drying, milling and coating
• Identify, test and deliver innovations, process strategies and methods that improve product quality, cost-of-goods, manufacturing efficiency and overall system performance, partnering closely with R&D functions, Appliance Engineering and Supply Chain
• Represent KDP with third-party partners (vendors, OEMs and manufacturers), ensuring KDP requirements are captured in specifications and agreements, and that deliverables meet our standards

Essential duties and responsibilities

Responsibilities include:

• Develop mechanistic understanding of processing unit operations
• Determine critical material properties to deliver product requirements
• Setting process specifications to deliver a robust and stable product
• Development of measurement systems
• Generation of process flow diagrams
• Support scale-up, commissioning and qualification. Interface with manufacturing, quality, site engineering, procurement and other functions to ensure successful plant transfer
• Design, execute and analyze experiments using domain knowledge, DoE, and statistical analysis
• Perform literature searches
• Educate cross-functional partners on technical and scientific principles as necessary, and mentor other engineers and scientists
• Comply with all requirements related to food safety and quality

• Salary Range: $76,400 - $125,000
• Actual placement within the compensation range may vary depending on experience, skills, and other factors
• Benefits, subject to election and eligibility: Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability, Paid Time Off (including paid parental leave, vacation, and sick time), 401k with company match, Tuition Reimbursement, and Mileage Reimbursement
• Annual bonus based on performance and eligibility

• Master’s degree in chemical engineering (or closely related discipline) with 6+ years of experience
• Ph.D. in chemical engineering (or closely related discipline) with 0-3 years of experience
• Strong critical thinking skills
• Detail oriented
• Demonstrated experience in the field of particle technology such as powder blending, drying, compaction, milling and coating
• Experience with tableting and tablet manufacturing is desirable
• Knowledge and experience in particle characterization techniques such as laser diffraction, dynamic image analysis, mercury intrusion porosimetry, helium pycnometer, BET surface area, powder flow and shear cell testing.
• Knowledge of experimental design and analysis (DoE), including factorial designs, response surface and model-based DoE.
• Competence in analytical and statistical tools such as JMP, Python, R
• Highly collaborative and effective communication skills. Ability to convey highly technical material to non-technical audiences is desired.
• Understanding of process engineering fundamentals such as PFD’s, P&ID’s, FMEA and SPC
• Knowledge of process modelling is a plus
• Knowledge or experience with structured problem solving, such as SixSigma, is also a plus. Certification in SixSigma Green Belt or Black Belt a bonus
• Ability to perform and be resilient in a dynamic environment
• Passion for coffee is highly desirable
• Ability to travel; 50%+ during certain periods of time

Keurig Dr Pepper (NASDAQ: KDP) is a leading beverage company in North America, with a portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed and partners brands and powerful distribution capabilities to provide a beverage for every need, anytime, anywhere. We operate with a differentiated business model and world-class brand portfolio, powered by a talented and engaged team that is anchored in our values. We work with big, exciting beverage brands and the #1 single-serve coffee brewing system in North America at KDP, and we have fun doing it!

Together, we have built a leading beverage company in North America offering hot and cold beverages together at scale. Whatever your area of expertise, at KDP you can be a part of a team that’s proud of its brands, partnerships, innovation, and growth. Will you join us?

We strive to be an employer of choice, providing a culture and opportunities that empower our team of ~29,000 employees to grow and develop. We offer robust benefits to support your health and wellness as well as your personal and financial well-being. We also provide employee programs designed to enhance your professional growth and development, while ensuring you feel valued, inspired and appreciated at work.

Keurig Dr Pepper is an equal opportunity employer and recruits qualified applicants and advances in employment its employees without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability or association with a person with a disability, medical condition, genetic information, ethnic or national origin, marital status, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.