Associate Product Development Project Manager

About this position

Summary:As part of the R&D team at Dishaka, the Associate Product Development Project Manager I, will support R&D projects within our Sales Funnel and Innovation Pipeline, helping move projects through the entire product development lifecycle from concept and development through commercialization, launch, and post-launch support.

This role will work closely with R&D, Sales, QA, Operations, Purchasing, Finance, suppliers, and customers to help keep projects organized, on schedule, and progressing through each stage of the development lifecycle.

Dishaka is a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment where priorities can change quickly, and projects require proactive problem-solving, strong follow-through, adaptability, and ownership. The ideal candidate is organized, self-driven, detailed-oriented, comfortable managing multiple priorities, and able to balance speed, quality, and business impact.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Management

• Manage day-to-day activities for assigned R&D projects throughout the A-Z product development lifecycle.
• Maintain project timelines, milestones, action items, deliverables, and documentation.
• Help ensure projects meet target timelines and proactively identify delays, risks, and roadblocks.
• Balance multiple projects, customers, priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Follow up on outstanding activities and escalated issues when additional support or decisions are needed.

Product Development Lifecycle Execution

Roadmap Stage

• Help evaluate new ideas and opportunities through initial product scoping.
• Manage prototype requests and customer feedback as opportunities move into the development pipeline.

In-Development Stage

• Help advance product ideas, formula refinement, prototypes, customer feedback, and product testing.
• Facilitate regulatory documentation, product specifications, packaging definition, and costing activities.
• Assist with plant trials and validation of formulas, parameters, packaging, and costing.
• Help ensure finished product information is complete and ready for commercialization.

Commercialization Stage

• Initiate project kick-offs and maintain project timelines, checklists, and cross-functional communication.
• Facilitate customer, supplier, and raw material setup activities in Dishaka’s systems.
• Manage film and case artwork development lifecycle.
• Assist with the creation of BOMs, formulas, routings, and overall finished goods set-up in Dishaka’s ERP system.
• Manage project specific certifications such as Kosher, GFCO, NGP, etc.
• Assist in the creation of product records and specifications in customer portals or tech spec documents.
• Process commercialization checklists for purchasing meetings and ensure all raw materials, POs, packaging, and freight activities align with project needs.
• Collaborate with QA to establish critical limits for new products, ensuring required formula, raw material, specification, and allergen information is complete and accurate.
• Lead pre-production meetings, first production runs, customer samples, final approvals, and R&D release.

Launched stage

• Provide ongoing R&D support for assigned accounts.
• Handle customer requests for certifications, documentation, product information, portal updates, and product changes.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Nutrition, Business, Project Management, or a related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in food product development, R&D, QA, project management, operations, or a related food industry role.
• Experience in food manufacturing, commercialization, or project management highly preferred.
• Familiarity with product specifications, costing, ERP systems, customer portals, or food regulatory requirements is a plus.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, time-management, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written and verbal English communication skills.
• Spanish proficiency is a plus but not required

Key Skills & Attributes:

• Project Management:
  Able to manage multiple projects (25+), timelines, and priorities.
• Prioritization:
  Able to focus on the highest-value work and meet deadlines.
• Ownership:
  Takes accountability, follows through, and communicates proactively.
• Organization:
  Plans ahead and keeps projects, tasks, and information organized.
• Detail-Oriented:
  Accurately reviews information and follows established processes.
• Proactive & Resourceful:
  Anticipates issues, takes initiative, and finds solutions.
• Adaptable:
  Thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment with changing priorities.
• Collaborative & Communicative:
  Works effectively across teams and clearly communicates project status and needs.