R&D Process Manager - Kilkenny Cheese Ltd

R&D Process Manager

Kilkenny Cheese Ltd

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in the start-up of Kilkenny Cheese Limited. Kilkenny Cheese is a joint venture between Tirlán and Dutch family business Royal A-ware, a 130-year-old company with strong positions in EU and global markets.

About Royal Aware

Royal A-ware is a traditional Dutch family business with a passion for food and with a strong entrepreneurial attitude. Demand-led, we offer our clients tailored products and services. In recent years investments have been made in the development and management of own supply chains resulting in independence, efficiency, and flexibility. We are specialized in producing, ripening, cutting, and packaging cheese, and also produce and package cream and fresh dairy products.

About Tirlán

Tirlán, formerly known as Glanbia Ireland, is a world-class food and nutrition co-operative, with a diverse portfolio of quality ingredients, leading consumer and agri brands. The farmer-owned co-operative has a first-class track record of success in the global market. Rooted in a rich heritage of family farming and embedded in its communities, Tirlán has evolved to bring the passion of its farmers and their high-quality milk and grains to the international marketplace. Using modern-day technology and applying the best processes to its milk pool of three billion litres and its premium grains portfolio, Tirlán now exports to more than 80 countries.  Its award-winning brands are household names in Ireland, and include Ireland’s number one consumer dairy brand, Avonmore.The organisation draws on a wealth of experience to deliver exceptional products and tailored nutritional solutions including Kilmeaden, Wexford, Truly Grass Fed, Solmiko, CheddMax and GAIN. Tirlán has a strong market presence in the UK, France, Germany, UAE, the US, North Africa, Japan and China.

For more information visit www.tirlan.com

Role Summary

The R&D Process manager, based in Belview in South Kilkenny reporting to the Plant Director, is responsible to produce a high quality product in an efficient way. This role will require an understanding of the technologies, product characteristics and manufacturing processes so that operations support, process optimisation, new product introductions and product extensions can be completed effectively. The role encompasses the integration of engineering, technology, chemistry and microbiology and is designed to be able to identify why products and processes are performing is a particular way in order to improve performance. It will require the person to work closely with Engineering, Quality and Operations personnel to drive and co-ordinate process optimisation. The R&D manager reports to the Plant Director and is part of the Leadership team, the role will have one direct report, R&D Technologist.

Key Responsibilities

• Taking care of recipe management so product is produced according the product sheets
• Systematically assess plant performance to identify improvement opportunities
• Proactively contribute to on-going efforts to improve plant efficiencies and reduce process variation.
• Assess issues that arise during normal operations and, in collaboration with the operations team, identify improvement opportunities and the root cause of process problems, resolving the bottlenecks and actively preventing them.
• Provide leadership in optimisation of production processes and equipment on an on-going basis
• Provide technical support to operations in relation to equipment configurations and process parameters
• Support the business in producing quality product first time through clear understanding  of customer needs
• Model system & test method development
• Analyzing quality deviations of products
• Supporting the quality department in preparing for audits
• Link up with R&D personnel as required for new product introductions  or line extensions 
• Manage and deliver customer collaborative projects with support from other R&D teams
• Working closely with customer team to complete projects on time and in scope
• Support new plant validation and commissioning in line with agreed KPIs
• Developing, drafting and explaining of research proposals
• Technical, analytical, functional and pilot scale testing
• Preparation & presentation of products, new ideas and concepts
• Keep technically abreast of relevant developments in the field
• Contribute to the development of site culture and act as role model for Plant values and behaviours.
• Support and strengthen the site safety culture 
• Support implementation of site cleanliness and hygiene standards

Key Requirements

• Have a third level qualification in Food Science/ Engineering/Food Technology OR a minimum of 3 year’s  experience in dairy processing environment.
• Demonstrate proven experience in delivering technical projects within the food industry.
• Demonstrate capability in data analytics
• Have a technical understanding of the product impact of basic unit processes in dairy industry
• A formal qualification in Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma methodology is preferable
• Some travel may be involved in the initial stages of the role

Experience

• Experienced & accurate formulator
• Experience of complex project delivery
• Be able to demonstrate excellent problem solving skills
• Advanced organisation and planning skills.
• Strong PC skills, Microsoft Office (Word, excel and MS Project),
• Ability to liaise effectively with internal and external stakeholders

Person Profile

• Successful track record of project delivery in a start-up or large scale development project would be an advantage
• Knowledge of Dairy or similar food processing industry
• Ability to manage a range of complex projects to completion
• Excellent interpersonal and influencing skills

Join our Talent Pool

Considering a new career in Tirlán but this isn’t the role for you?! Then why not register your experience & sign up for career opportunities at www.tirlan.com/careers

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
Tirlán embraces diversity, equal opportunity and inclusion. We are committed to building diverse teams where different perspectives drive innovation and growth. We strive to create an inclusive workplace where people can bring their true self to work and achieve their full potential.

At Tirlán, we celebrate diversity, because we know that our individual strengths make us stronger together. We welcome and encourage interest from a wide variety of candidates, and we will give your application consideration, without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, or disability status. 

At Tirlán our culture will celebrate individuality, knowing that together we are more.

Tirlán owns leading consumer and agri brands such as Avonmore, Kilmeaden Cheese, Millac, Solmiko, Truly Grass Fed, Premier Milk, Wexford, mymilkman.ie and GAIN Animal Nutrition. 

About us:

The farmer-owned co-operative has a first-class track record of success in the global market. Rooted in a rich heritage of family farming and embedded in its communities, Tirlán has evolved to bring the passion of its farmers and their high-quality milk and grains to the international marketplace. Using modern-day technology and applying the best processes to its milk pool of three billion litres and its premium grains portfolio, Tirlán now exports to more than 80 countries.  Its award-winning brands are household names in Ireland, and include Ireland’s number one consumer dairy brand, Avonmore.

The organisation draws on a wealth of experience to deliver exceptional products and tailored nutritional solutions including Kilmeaden, Wexford, Truly Grass Fed, Solmiko, CheddMax and GAIN. Tirlán has a strong market presence in the UK, France, Germany, UAE, the US, North Africa, Japan and China.

Tirlán is a Values Based Organisation - www.tirlan.com