Senior Research Scientist, Starch R&D ? Decatur, IL

For more than a century, the people of Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) have transformed crops into products that serve the vital needs of a growing world. Today, we?re one of the world?s largest agricultural processors and food ingredient providers, with more than 32,300 employees serving customers in more than 160 countries. With a global value chain that includes 428 crop procurement locations, 280 ingredient manufacturing facilities, 39 innovation centers and the world?s premier crop transportation network, we connect the harvest to the home, making products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses. Learn more at www.adm.com . Senior Research Scientist, Starch R&D ? Decatur, ILThis is a full time exempt level position
Position Summary:Archer Daniels Midland Company, a world leader in agricultural processing, has an immediate opening for a Senior Research Scientist position at their corporate research center located in Decatur, Illinois. The Senior Research Scientist will provide technical and project leadership for starch R&D programs. The successful candidate will have in-depth knowledge of carbohydrate chemistry and technology and will focus on development of specialty starch ingredients for food and non-food industrial applications.
This position will be responsible for adding value to the R&D projects by having a fundamental understanding of physical, chemical and enzymatic methods of modifying structure and functionality of starch and non-starch carbohydrates.
The successful candidate will have a track record of developing new products and creating intellectual property, as well as demonstrating strong leadership skills to communicate effectively with cross-functional, matrixed teams as they drive R&D projects while working with multi-disciplinary teams. In addition to new products, this position will provide support for existing products in production and improvement projects as appropriate.
Job Responsibilities: Design and execute development of new ingredients from concept to commercialization leveraging basic principles of carbohydrate chemistry, processing technologies and analytical characterizationLead product innovation by working independently and utilize internal/external resources and support services to deliver on projectsDemonstrated ability to lead cross-functional, highly matrixed technical teamsDevelop and execute on analytical methods, data interpretation, recording of research outcomes in clear and concise reports, and provide recommendationsKnowledge of project management tools to scope R&D project and to drive the projects to completion according to agreed timelines and goalsProvide progress and status updates on projects to key stakeholders while ensuring the project outcomes are aligned with the business needs Support commercialization and implementation of successful projects at plant level while working closely with commercial, engineering & operations, safety and regulatory teamsProvide support for process and product related improvement projects in manufacturing plants and support productivity projects as appropriateSupport intellectual property (IP) development and mapping of competitive IPMaintain in-depth scientific knowledge in the areas of carbohydrates (starch and non-starch by staying current on scientific publications, attending technical conferences and staying well-informed of cutting edge technologies/productsEnsure safe working practice in research labs, pilot plants, and manufacturing facilities to meet or exceed safety goals Job Requirements: Must have PhD in Food, Cereal Science, Chemical Engineering, Polymer science and/or organic chemistry or related field, with a minimum of five years of relevant experienceExpertise in carbohydrate chemistry and knowledge of physical/chemical/enzymatic modification of starches and non-starch carbohydratesCore Competencies include communication, flexibility, teamwork, problem solving, curiosity, dependability, persistent, integrity, and safety commitmentMay involve travel up to 15% Relocation assistance is available with this position. This position offers a complete benefit package, including 401K/ESOP, pension, health, life and dental insurance. ADM requires the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screen, medical history process and a background check. Apply for this job.