Responsibilities
- Develop and execute R&D strategies that support manufacturing excellence, product quality, and business growth.
- Identify and prioritize opportunities to improve operational performance across the manufacturing network.
- Serve as a key technical advisor to Operations and Executive Leadership on manufacturing, commercialization, and quality initiatives.
- Establish long-term roadmaps for process improvement, capability development, and technical innovation.
- Lead, coach, and develop a growing R&D team, fostering accountability, technical excellence, and career growth.
- Establish team priorities and allocate resources to support business objectives.
- Build organizational capability through mentoring, talent development, and succession planning.
- Create systems and processes that improve team effectiveness and project execution.
- Lead commercialization efforts from concept through full-scale production.
- Oversee complex plant trials, scale-ups, and process validations across multiple manufacturing locations.
- Ensure new products and process changes are successfully integrated into manufacturing operations.
- Partner with Operations and Supply Chain teams to improve launch readiness and execution.
- Provide technical leadership and support for manufacturing and co-manufacturing partners.
- Lead root cause investigations and resolution of significant quality, process, and operational challenges.
- Drive initiatives focused on improving yield, throughput, labor efficiency, and overall equipment performance.
- Develop scalable solutions that improve consistency across manufacturing sites.
- Lead initiatives to improve product quality, consistency, and consumer experience.
- Identify and implement opportunities to reduce costs while maintaining product integrity.
- Use data, plant performance metrics, and consumer feedback to prioritize improvement efforts.
- Monitor key performance indicators and drive accountability for results.
- Partner closely with Operations, FSQA, Procurement, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Commercial teams to align priorities and execute business objectives.
- Influence decision-making through technical expertise and business acumen.
- Communicate project status, risks, and recommendations to leadership and stakeholders.
- Build strong relationships with external suppliers, co-manufacturers, and technical partners.
- Ensure robust documentation of formulations, process changes, validations, and technical learnings.
- Establish standards and best practices for project execution and manufacturing support.
- Maintain visibility into project portfolios, timelines, and performance metrics.
Requirements
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Science, Meat Science, Engineering, or a related field.
- 7 – 10+ years of experience in food manufacturing, product development, commercialization, process improvement, or technical operations.
- Experience in meat snacks, meat processing, or shelf-stable animal protein products.
- Demonstrated success leading complex manufacturing and commercialization initiatives across multiple facilities.
- Strong knowledge of food processing, formulation, quality systems, and manufacturing operations.
- Experience supporting and influencing co-manufacturing partners.
- Proven people leadership experience, including coaching, performance management, and talent development.
- Strong business acumen with the ability to balance quality, cost, speed, and scalability.
- Ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive alignment without direct authority.
- Excellent problem-solving, communication, and project management skills.
- Experience leading continuous improvement or operational excellence initiatives.
- Track record of delivering measurable improvements in yield, quality, cost, or manufacturing performance.
- Experience building teams and organizational capabilities within a high-growth environment.
- Ability to travel up to 50%.
Additional Information
- Ability to travel up to 50%.
