Research & Development Manager

As the onsite R&D manager for the facility, you will lead the team as a hands-on manager supporting formulation and commercialization. You will work with a cross-functional team including plant manager, quality manager and operations manager to trouble-shoot, diagnose and implement action plans to optimize formulation to scale-up commercialization at the facility.

As R&D Manager, you will work with senior leadership in sales, marketing, and support initiatives with customers to ensure successful launch of products. As the leader for R&D at this facility, you will manage concerns and issues that arise, leaving your R&D team to remain on task to complete R&D projects.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

• Use your formulation and culinary chops to design new products from benchtop to production in salsas and dips categories. Be able to showcase products at tradeshows
• Lead all technical development activities to scale up for commercialization, product launch, and post-launch monitoring including development of formula, technical label copy, products specifications, and quality criteria
• Develop, implement, and refine department policies and processes for regulatory, nutritional labeling, documentation and filing, product quality (sensory attributes) and other determined areas
• Works with HACCP team to modify HACCP/Food Safety plan accordingly
• Works closely with the Purchasing team to identify solutions and efficiencies
• Maintains library of product concepts, project proposals, completed project reports and shelf-life study reports
• Completes and documents in house sensory panels
• Uses nutritional labeling software to maintain formulas/recipes and generate ingredient statements and nutritional fact panels
• Uses nutritional labeling software to maintain formulas/recipes and generate ingredient statements and nutritional fact panels
• Maintains current formulas and procedures and develops new products
• Assists in maintaining quality programs, and technical information including ingredient specifications, shelf-life studies, formulas and procedures, and in-process analytical data
• Work in close cooperation with Sales and Marketing to present innovative products to customers and drive customer focused development
• Collaborate with cross-functional departments to commercialize new products
• Work closely with the Quality Assurance team on production protocols, product shelf-life studies and ingredient qualifications
• Provide coaching to junior team members
• If you’d like to hear more about this opportunity and others we are currently working on, please contact Damon Wickmann at [email protected].
  
  

JO: 114.24DW

Technical Qualifications:

• BS/MS in Food Science. 7-10 years’ experience in the Food Industry in Research & Development with experience in formulation to production in CPG highly preferred. Can come from dairy, salsa, produce, desserts, dips. Refrigerated is ideal
• 2-3 years leadership as team lead or associate manager or R&D manager
• Proven track record of successful product development from concept to commercialization required
• Good understanding of formulating refrigerated products a plus
• Knowledge of Genesis is a plus
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects concurrently and work independently as your manager will be at another location
• Excellent verbal, written, and oral communication
• Executional excellence, personal leadership and customer focus a must
• Travel about 10% of time occasional
• If you’d like to hear more about this opportunity and others we are currently working on, please contact Damon Wickmann at [email protected].
  
  

JO: 114.24DW