Plant Technologist NL

The Plant Technologist strives for maximum production performance and is committed to improving food safety, quality, and efficiency at the Enschede plant and supporting our co-manufacturers. Effective collaboration with colleagues across departments is essential. 

As Plant Technologist, you are jointly responsible for validating and optimizing production processes in the factories where Beyond Meat manufactures semi-finished and finished products. You identify opportunities for performance and cost improvements and report directly to the Plant & EHS Manager. 

You lead and support related cost-saving projects. Daily activities include troubleshooting, analyzing performance data, identifying trends and causes of downtime, and finding relationships between discrepancies. You support data-driven problem solving, Root Cause Analyses (RCAs), SOP development, and periodic reporting to track progress. 

You work closely with the Process Technologist and departments such as Production, Quality, Innovation, R&D, and Engineering to optimize processes and improve efficiency and yield. Ideally, you have strong technical insight and experience with extrusion and packaging processes. 
 
TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Manage machine recipes, production checks, and OCAPs; 

• Identify and realize savings opportunities (waste reduction, output increases, process simplification, action matrices, and knowledge sharing); 

• Monitor internal processes and implement technological developments to continuously optimize operations; 

• Automate quality-control tasks, identify relationships between discrepancies, and provide performance insights; 

• Set up, lead, and execute cross-functional (Kaizen) projects and implement resulting actions; 

• Perform problem-solving analyses and develop tools to support production; 

• Act as a sparring partner for Production, QA, R&D, Engineering, and Automation teams; 

• Promote an open culture where feedback and ideas are encouraged and freely exchanged; 

• Contribute actively to a safety-first culture by reporting, preventing, and resolving unsafe situations; 

• Prepare reports on incidents, trials, and disruptions. 

JOB REQUIREMENTS: 

 
EDUCATION 

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Technology or equivalent. 
   

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE 

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience in a similar role within the food industry; 

• Knowledge of production processes; 

• Knowledge of HACCP; 

• Familiarity with continuous-improvement methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma; 

• Knowledge of project management; 

• Experience in a coaching role is an advantage. 

SKILLS 

• Practical, proactive, results-oriented, and strong problem-solving skills; 

• Proven ability to communicate and present at all levels of the organization; 

• Skilled in processing data and analyzing trends; 

• Able to work independently and as part of a team; 

• Good command of Dutch and English; 

• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications such as Word and Excel. 
   

OTHER 

• Social, reliable, and punctual, with a strong sense of responsibility toward the company, colleagues, and work; 

• Positive attitude; 

• Flexible regarding activities that may occur outside standard working hours. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

Office, production environment, warehouse of the Beyond Meat factory in Enschede, and external Beyond Meat production locations in the Netherlands and Germany