Staff Engineer - SME Dryers

Staff Engineer – Membrane and Drying Systems

The Staff Engineer serves as the enterprise technical authority for membrane separation and industrial drying technologies across Agropur’s manufacturing network. This role provides deep subject‑matter expertise in the design, operation, optimization, troubleshooting, and strategic application of membrane systems and drying systems supporting dairy and food processing operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead concept development, process design, equipment selection, detailed engineering, and commissioning/validation protocols for capital projects involving membrane and drying technologies.
• Establish and maintain enterprise technical standards, design guidelines, best‑practice documents, and technology roadmaps for membrane and drying systems.
• Provide strategic insight into current technical feasibility, future possibilities, and investment requirements for new products, ingredients, and manufacturing capabilities.
• Serve as the final technical authority for engineering decisions related to membrane and drying systems and guide cross‑functional teams in Commercial, R&D, Operations and Engineering.
• Conduct technical reviews of major capital projects, vendor proposals, and process designs to ensure compliance with safety, hygiene, and regulatory requirements.
• Support Operational Excellence initiatives by addressing performance, product quality, reliability, and capacity challenges; identify opportunities for yield improvement, energy efficiency, uptime, and product consistency.
• Establish best practices for food safety, hygienic design, powder‑hazard mitigation, dust‑explosion prevention, and cleanability (CIP). Focus on powder quality control including particle size distribution, bulk density, moisture, solubility, and thermal stability.
• Provide technical guidance on thermal efficiency, energy consumption, sustainability, and evaluation of emerging low‑energy drying technologies.
• Advise on thermal and mechanical safety, dust‑explosion considerations, ATEX zoning, and safe powder handling systems.
• Monitor emerging membrane and drying technologies and assess their potential to unlock new product platforms or improve cost, quality, safety, and sustainability performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering (Chemical Engineering preferred).
• Minimum 10 years of experience in membrane system process engineering, capital project development, and/or execution.
• Demonstrated expertise in membrane and drying system design, operation, troubleshooting, and optimization, with strong understanding of dairy processing.
• Experience developing technical standards, specifications, and enterprise guidelines.
• Strong organizational and communication skills; ability to influence technical decisions across multiple facilities and stakeholder groups.
• Experience facilitating technical reviews, driving follow‑up actions, and implementing standards and change management for adoption.
• Experience with whey processing, protein concentration, and dairy ingredient manufacturing is preferred.
• Experience working with leading membrane and drying system suppliers and OEMs.
• For positions based in Quebec, adequate knowledge of French is required.

Benefits

• Competitive salary range: $124,200–$155,300 (based on skills, education, training, and experience).
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Short and Long‑Term Disability Insurance.
• 401(k) with 7% company contribution.
• 3 weeks paid time off, paid holidays, and 2 floating holidays.
• Paid parental leave and advancement opportunities.
• Remote work with 50% travel requirement.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Agropur welcomes people from all backgrounds and origins, and is proud to be an employer with a diverse community. We are committed to providing a respectful and inclusive experience for all employees and applicants. Candidates who request accommodations will be accommodated.