Chomps is hiring a Manager, R&D

Who We Are Chomps is America’s fastest-growing meat snack brand, redefining convenient snacking with a commitment to real ingredients and bold, satisfying flavors. Crafted from 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef and venison, along with antibiotic-free turkey and chicken, each Chomps meat stick delivers 10+ grams of high-quality protein without sugar, hormones, soy, dairy, artificial preservatives, artificial nitrates, or MSG. Seasoned with a blend of flavorful herbs and spices, Chomps provides a nutritious protein snack for the whole family. As a minority-owned, family-operated, and B Corporation-certified business, Chomps prioritizes thoughtful sourcing and recently earned the non–ultra-processed food certification through the non-GMO project. Discover a new standard in snacking at www.chomps.com. Traits of a Chompian If you’ve been called scrappy, resourceful, and persistent, then you might just be a Chompian. You’re a team player who’s self-motivated and action-oriented. You’re committed to delivering efficiency and accuracy, and you happen to be great at proactive cross-functional communication. You’re a critical thinker and a natural problem solver who enjoys details, research, and data. You take initiative and complete ownership of everything you do, and you’ll go the extra mile for your team, consumers, and audience. You’re hungry to learn with a passion to grow and improve every day. You also take a keen interest in health, fitness, and nutrition. Sound like you? Then we want to meat you. What You Will Do At Chomps, we’re building a team that takes ownership, moves quickly, and holds a high bar for product quality. As the Manager, R&D, you will lead key work across yield improvement, day-to-day support of the base business, and commercialization, owning projects that directly impact how our products are made and how they perform in market. This role sits at the center of manufacturing, quality, and product execution, ensuring consistent performance across plants. Responsibilities include driving process improvements, leading plant trials and scale-ups, and providing hands-on technical support to our co-manufacturing partners. You will be expected to use data to inform decisions and prioritize work. This role will also manage and develop a small team, helping set priorities, remove roadblocks, and keep projects moving forward. This is a hands-on, fast-paced role. The right person is comfortable operating in ambiguity, working through plant-level challenges, and driving progress without a lot of structure. Responsibilities Team Leadership: - Manage and develop a small R&D team, setting clear priorities and expectations - Provide coaching and support to help the team grow and take ownership of their work - Ensure projects are progressing with strong accountability Commercialization and Plant Support: - Lead commercialization efforts from bench to full-scale production - Own plant trials and scale-ups to ensure consistent, repeatable outcomes - Partner with manufacturing and procurement to meet targets for quality, cost, and scalability Base Business and Co-Manufacturing Support: - Serve as a key R&D partner to co-manufacturers, supporting day-to-day production and troubleshooting - Work closely with manufacturing and FSQA to maintain product quality and consistency across plants - Be hands-on in solving issues, both remotely and on-site Yield and Cost Improvement: - Identify and lead opportunities to improve yields, throughput, and reduce waste - Partner cross-functionally to drive cost improvements while maintaining product quality - Use data and plant learnings to inform decisions and prioritize work Quality and Continuous Improvement: - Lead efforts to improve product quality, consistency, and performance across plants - Identify root causes of issues and implement practical, scalable solutions - Continuously look for ways to improve processes Cross-functional Collaboration: - Work closely with manufacturing, FSQA, procurement, and marketing to align on priorities - Communicate clearly on project status, risks, and decisions - Act as a strong technical and operational voice in cross-functional discussions Documentation and Reporting: - Maintain clear documentation of formulations, trials, and process changes - Track project progress, plant learnings, and key performance metrics - Keep teams aligned through clear, simple communication Who You Are - Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Meat Science, or a related field - 5 – 8+ years of experience in manufacturing support, commercialization, or process improvement within the food industry - Strong experience working in plant environments and supporting co-manufacturers - Strong understanding of food processing, formulation, and quality systems - Prior experience managing or mentoring others - Ability to lead projects end-to-end with limited direction - Strong problem-solving skills and ability to operate in a fast-paced environment - Ability to travel up to 50% Position: Manager, R&D Reports to: Senior Director, R&D and Continuous Improvement Location: Remote + travel Type: Full-Time, exempt Salary Range Opportunity: - The salary range for this role is $115,000 - $120,000 + 20% annual bonus Compensation Philosophy & Total Comp: - Our salary ranges are based on verified market data and our philosophy of paying competitively for our size and industry - Individual pay rate decisions are based on several factors, including qualifications for the role, experience level, skillset, and balancing internal equity relative to peers at the company - In addition to base salary, full-time team members receive medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401K 6% match, and monthly reimbursements for wellness and home office. Other Perks: - Ability to make an impact: Join a rapidly growing and entrepreneurial-spirited team at a pivotal point to positively impact the food industry. - Opportunities to grow: Advance within Chomps quickly based on outstanding performance. - Unlimited PTO and 15+ paid holiday days. Hybrid & flexible remote schedule. Chicago office open to those in the area. - Paid maternity and paternity leave. - Bi-annual total team in-person activities. - Company-wide Continual Education budget. - Unlimited snacks: Enough meat sticks that if you wanted to eat your body weight in them you could (no judgment here).