Bakery Technical Services Specialist (R&D)

About Sara Lee Sara Lee Frozen Bakery became a stand- alone company in 2018 when it was purchased by Kohlberg and Company (private equity) from Tyson Foods. Our desserts have always stood for incredible flavor and superior value in the frozen food aisle and away from home markets. The Sara Lee Frozen Bakery collection of top brands includes Sara Lee®, Chef Pierre®, Bistro Collection®, Superior on Main® and Cyrus O’Leary’s®. Sara Lee Frozen Bakery is proud to take these iconic brands into a new era and to continue the evolution that transformed one small Chicago bakery into an American institution. Using carefully sourced ingredients and time-honored recipes, the company is committed to making life’s moments a little sweeter, putting its customers first and discovering new ways to make everyone’s favorite foods even better. Working for Sara Lee Our vision is to be the world’s most beloved bakery by creating irresistible foods, growing with our customers, and delivering value for all. We will achieve success through collaboration and innovation in an environment where employees feel empowered to execute with speed. We believe that each of us has unique points of difference and experience to offer. We believe that there is always a better way, and we will never be satisfied with status quo. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, continually seek process improvements and a strong sense of customer service, then this is the right type of environment for you. Summary: The Technical Services Specialist serves as an embedded R&D technical resource within the bakery, connecting product and process expertise to successful manufacturing execution. The role independently leads assigned bakery technical activities and partners closely with Bakery Operations, R&D, FSQA, Engineering, Supply Chain, Continuous Improvement/TPM, and other cross-functional teams to support trials and commercialization, day-to-day production, process and equipment changes, supply challenges, cost savings, and continuous improvement. The Technical Services Specialist translates technical knowledge into repeatable manufacturing processes and sustainable bakery capability. This includes leading assigned product and process trials, supporting CQV and validation, partnering with R&D Developers and Packaging Engineers to establish product and process specifications, supporting first production, and carrying out process optimization, structured troubleshooting and root cause analysis, manufacturing documentation, standard work, and technical training. The role serves as a key technical liaison between R&D and the bakery, proactively identifying improvement opportunities, leading assigned commercialization and value-creation initiatives, and recognizing manufacturing risks and capability gaps. The specialist partners with Technical Services leadership and senior technical colleagues as needed to resolve complex challenges, contributes to common technical practices, and implements approved standards within the bakery. Through knowledge transfer, technical problem solving, and strong bakery partnerships, the role helps improve production readiness, reduce operational risk and variability, and ensure the long-term success of products and processes within the bakery. This is an individual contributor role with no required direct reports. Essential Duties and Responsibilities: As a member of the innovation team, partner with R&D and cross-functional teams to align assigned bakery technical activities with project objectives, supporting new product introductions, reformulations, and supply chain improvement initiatives. Partner with R&D Developers and Packaging Engineers to translate formulas, product requirements, and packaging requirements into repeatable manufacturing processes. Coordinate trial planning and prework to enable successful plant trial execution, including alignment on objectives, materials, documentation, resour…

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