Senior Manager, Research & Innovation; R&D

Short Intro and About the Job

Reporting to the Sr Director of Research & Innovation for Beverage Creations, this position leads a team supporting the Danone Ready-to-Drink Coffee and Waters businesses. The incumbent is responsible for managing and developing a team of food scientists, managing a portfolio of product development projects with both local and global involvement and representing R&I as a leader with both internal and external stakeholders.

• Directly manages a team of professional level product developers to include technical guidance, project and business advisement and career development.
• Provides technical expertise in food science and product development while supporting team in developing project briefs, timelines, risk assessments, technical plans/reports and project updates.
• Facilitates and fosters the ideation of possible new products, line extensions, and/or product reformulations with an emphasis on establishing points of difference versus competitors, promotion of nutrition/health/wellness and incorporating food safety/quality, creativity and a passion for food.
• Plan, execute, and manage the development of prototype products in lab, pilot plant and at production facilities. Maintain stringent technical and experimental documentation.
• Source and maintain vendor relationships to secure the necessary ingredients that align with prevailing company standards. Evaluate new suppliers and/or ingredients.
• Support and drive global technical initiatives to support the long-term pipeline and strategy.
• Provide technical support to engineering and operations teams to troubleshoot manufacturing challenges.
• Facilitate needed sensory evaluations and consumer taste panels. Utilize consumer insights to improve product formulations and qualify new innovations.
• Ensure all developed products meet internal and external guidelines for nutrition, regulatory affairs, and food labeling.
• Own the commercialization of products from ideation through scale up and retail launch.
• Work with, and provide technical product leadership to, cross‑functional teams including but not limited to Marketing, Sales, Business Development, Operations, Finance, Engineering, and Quality Assurance.
• Provide oral and written progress updates to stakeholders and business leaders. Must be able to clearly articulate technical product information in a format that is understandable to non‑technical audiences.
• All other duties as assigned.

• The following combination of education and experience is required for this position:
  • Bachelor’s degree in food science or closely related field with at least 7-8 years of relevant progressive experience
  • Master’s degree in food science or closely related field with at least 5 years of relevant progressive experience
  • PhD degree in food science or closely related field with at least 3 years of relevant progressive experience
• Prior experience must include significant product development, commercialization, stage gate and research, preferably focused on beverages and emulsion-based products.
• At least 2 years of previous experience managing direct reports required.
• Demonstrated examples of successful commercialization.

• Demonstrated history of successful commercialization of in-market products that showcase meaningful points of difference, backed by trusted science, while delivering against consumer expectations
• Understanding of sensory and consumer validation tools to ensure product quality
• Awareness of consumer trends in ingredients, labeling and nutrition
• Knowledgeable of food safety, HACCP, regulations and quality programs
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Solid planning, organizational, executional and time management skills
• Drive for delivery of business results
• Strong project management skills and proven ability to work with cross‑functional teams
• Ability and passion to manage and develop others
• Attention to detail and ability to multi‑task multiple projects while assessing and alleviating risks
• Must be able and willing to travel up to 35%
• Ability to safely work in a variety of…