Senior Manager/Principal Engineer

Impossible Foods was founded to transform the global food system and reduce the impact of climate change by making the world’s most delicious, nutritious, and sustainable meat, fish, and dairy — from plants.
Through the revolutionary work of our world-class R&D team, we’re inventing efficient, sustainable ways to transform ingredients from plants into meat, fish, and dairy foods that deliver all the pleasures and nutritional benefits consumers demand, without the negative environmental or public health impact.
Our flagship product, Impossible™ Burger, uses 96% less land, 87% less water and generates 89% less greenhouse gas emissions than conventional beef from cows. And the burger is just the beginning. We’re working on recreating every animal product, from chicken to fish, with plant-based ingredients that are vastly better for people and the planet. 
Impossible Foods has experienced spectacular growth over the last few years, and we continue to lead all aspects of the plant-based revolution – from discovery and innovation to commercial production and consumer education. We’re building an amazing team of brilliant, collaborative, mission-driven individuals who take pride in using their diverse skills to contribute to a better world. Our core values include leading with heart, thinking like scientists, and doing the right thing, and our employees embody these attributes in their work every day. 
Want to join the movement? You can help us solve the most urgent, important challenge facing the world today (and have fun doing it). Check out our job opening below:

The Senior Manager/Principal Engineer will design and manage the build out and assembly of pilot plant equipment for the texturization of plant-based products. This role is responsible for the process development and scale-up of robust, novel texturization processes to achieve project objectives. The role will also foster the growth of a team of process development engineers/technicians working in a safety culture. This role will coordinate operations of additional piloting facilities as we continue to expand material texturization capabilities.
Impossible Foods is still a start-up and is looking for adaptable and fearless candidates. This R&D role in the Materials & Texture team will involve close collaboration with our multidisciplinary R&D, Quality, and Manufacturing teams. 

You Will:

• Design, source, and coordinate the fabrication equipment for solid & liquid mixing, extrusion, fiber formation at pilot/manufacturing scale for the production of plant-based meat products.
• Manage external design and equipment, fabrication partners, and own successful delivery of equipment on time and on budget.
• Develop and review hardware and software specifications and design for process control systems.
• Oversee pilot operation run schedule, site acceptance tests, new equipment installs, maintenance. Initiate and guide pilot improvement and preventative maintenance programs.
• Act as liaison between the project managers and the tech leads involved in several engineering projects.
• Develop capital cost and project schedule estimates.
• Troubleshoot mechanical equipment and control system failure with root cause analysis followed by the implementation of engineering solutions to keep processes under control.
• Write engineering design documentation and tech transfer packages to enable process commercial scale-up.
• Ensure that optimized and robust processes are delivered to manufacturing with a high degree of confidence in their performance at scale.
• Model process & product CAPEX/OPEX cost to prioritize projects and recommend scale-up paths.
• Manage, develop and inspire a process development team. Provide technical guidance and prioritize career development. Lead with heart and put people first.

You Have:

• PhD/MSc in Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Food Science, Materials Engineering, Textile Engineering, Chemistry, or related fields.
• 8+ years of management experience in a pilot plant or manufacturing operations in a relevant industry (food, pharmaceutical, biochemical) where working within a GMP environment is required.
• Experience with large CapEx project engineering to simultaneously meet key timelines and deliverables. 
• 3+ years of engineering experience with synthetic fiber spinning, textile, and/or extrusion equipment is a strong plus.
• Six Sigma knowledge and knowledge of DOE.
• Proven track record of industrial IP generation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Experience with Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Lab View PLC, and CFD is a plus.

At Impossible Foods, safety is our priority. Our obligation to our employees (and their families and communities) includes providing a fully vaccinated workplace. It is widely recognized that vaccination is by far the safest and most effective tool for protecting ourselves and our community against the spread of Covid-19. For the sake of our employees, their families, and communities, Impossible Foods will require vaccination by February 1, 2022 for all US-based employees who are on-site at one of IF’s facilities or co-manufacturing facilities; are in a position that requires them to be in person with co-workers, customers, clients, or contractors; or are traveling on behalf of the Company, including attending any in-person Company-sponsored event.
Impossible Foods Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. 
Depending on your location, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) may regulate the way we manage the data of job applicants. Our full notice outlining how data will be processed as part of the application procedure for applicable locations is available here: https://impossiblefoods.com/careers/notice. By submitting your application, you are agreeing to our use and processing of your data as required.
If the ability to work remotely is indicated, this role can be performed from any US state except for Alaska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Hawaii, and Wisconsin.