Sr. R&D Engineer

Who We Are

At JonnyPops, our team is empowered to make an impact at work every day from producing high-quality, innovative frozen novelties to spreading kindness one pop at a time. We look for bright and ambitious individuals who seek out challenges, thrive in fast-paced and high-growth environments, align with our core values, and get fulfilment from seeing their work transform the world around them.

Based in Elk River, MN, JonnyPops develops, manufactures, distributes, and markets frozen novelties. Retailers from coast to coast including Target, Costco, Publix, Kroger, Cub, along with thousands of regional and local grocers make JonnyPops part of their assortment.

Growing from a dorm room start-up in 2012, JonnyPops’ mission is to make "A Better Pop for a Better World!" JonnyPops leads the frozen novelties space in innovation and uses simple ingredients with no artificial dyes. Every pop stick includes a kind deed, spreading kindness every day.

Joining JonnyPops is an exciting opportunity to be part of high-growth brand and have a direct impact on the company’s success. Join our team and help us make “A Better Pop, for a Better World!”

Job Summary

We are looking for a Sr. R&D Engineer to help enable us to continue, and lead with, the creation and execution of our products and manufacturing methodology. In this role, you will develop expertise across processing technologies to commercialize products, enable efficiencies, and unlock capabilities to accelerate growth.

In this role, you will have the unique opportunity to leverage your strong technical, possibilities-thinking, and influence skills to advance projects from concept through commercialization. This role will be developing and designing new processing of our unique products along with executing and implementation of new designs and innovations. You will be responsible for partnering and collaborating across Production, QA, R&D, Engineering, Supply Chain, and other cross-functional partners to deliver results.

This role is expected to be on the manufacturing floor working on executing improvements and innovation 60% of the time while 40% of the time working on design creation/ideation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide R&D engineering leadership in early feasibility through commercialization of innovation, renovation, and/or cost savings initiatives
• Design, develop and build experiments and trials to be implemented into manufacturing
• Strong experience building product/modifying product for testing and experimentation
• Leverage digital and AI tools (e.g., modeling, Process Analytical Technology, programming languages) to accelerate experimentation and advance capabilities
• Manage multiple priorities and prioritize based on fast paced evolving business needs
• Collaborate/Initiate across Supply Chain, Engineering, Production and internal/external experts to advance ideas through feasibility and implementation
• Develop R&D engineering methodologies to be incorporated into our food manufacturing facility

Food Safety Responsibilities

• Ensure all food safety protocols are met
• Engineer, design and build products with Food Safety, sanitation and cleanliness as a top priority.
• Clearly reflect food safety and quality as part of the JP brand, when planning and executing projects, and while interacting with relevant external and internal stakeholders.
• Follows, adheres and upholds GMP

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Food Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or other related field and 3 years of product development and commercialization experience.
• Possesses solid mechanical and electrical skills with demonstrable ability to build prototypes
• Demonstrated leadership skills with the agility and adaptability to manage multiple situations with a strong learning mindset
• Desire to be a possibilities thinker that will be able to translate ideas into action
• Builds effective relationships and partnerships with internal and external partners.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Preferred experience with process development and/or commercialization experience in a food space or industry
• Experience with Digital tools (e.g., modeling, Process Analytical Technology)
• Preferred experiencing leveraging AI and building agents
• Preferred experience with modeling software, and/or programming language (e.g. Python, R, etc.)
• Experience with one of more of the following technologies: food processing, mixing, extrusion, thermal processing and fluid dynamics

Additional Requirements

• Naturally curious, with an appreciation for ambiguity and the ability to embrace the “test and learn” mentality in pursuit of continuous improvement.
• Alignment to our mission to spread kindness – JonnyPops is a kindness-based company
• Versatility, flexibility, and a willingness to work within constantly changing priorities with enthusiasm.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• Physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to stand, sit, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls; talk and hear, and reach with hands or arms. The employee is frequently required to climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee consistently lifts and/or moves up to 100 lbs and is on their feet for the majority of the workday. Works comfortably in a variable temperature environment.