Sr R&D & Commercialization Manager

Senior Manager - R&D & Commercialization

A leading food and beverage manufacturer is seeking a Senior Manager of R&D & Commercialization to lead new product development, scale-up, and commercialization across a diverse portfolio including dairy, non-dairy, beverages, aerosol products, frozen novelties, and adjacent food categories.

This leader will manage projects from concept through commercialization while partnering closely with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, Sales, and customers to successfully launch innovative products that meet quality, timing, and financial objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead new product development and commercialization projects from concept through launch.
• Develop formulations, process parameters, product specifications, and commercialization plans.
• Lead pilot plant trials, process validations, production startups, and scale-up activities.
• Partner with Operations and Engineering to ensure products are manufacturable and scalable.
• Troubleshoot formulation, processing, shelf-life, and product performance issues.
• Support customer innovation initiatives and technical presentations.
• Conduct root cause investigations related to product quality and commercialization challenges.
• Partner with Quality and Regulatory teams to ensure FDA, SQF, labeling, and food safety compliance.
• Manage multiple commercialization projects while meeting aggressive timelines.
• Mentor junior R&D staff and provide technical leadership across cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering, or a related technical field.

Experience

• 8-12 years of progressive food and beverage product development experience.
• 5+ years leading commercialization projects from concept through full-scale manufacturing.
• Experience leading plant trials, startup activities, process validation, and scale-up.
• Experience partnering with Operations, Engineering, Quality, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Sales.
• Strong understanding of food manufacturing and commercialization processes.

Preferred Skills

• Product Development
• Commercialization & Scale-Up
• Project Management
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Root Cause Analysis
• Continuous Improvement
• Customer-Facing Technical Support
• Strong communication and presentation skills

Success Measures

• Successful commercialization of new products
• On-time project execution
• Successful plant trials and production startups
• Product quality and stability
• Customer satisfaction
• Innovation pipeline execution