Associate R&D Project Lead I (Food industry)

Job Description

Job Description

Description:

Summary:
Dishaka is a leader in the global snack manufacturing industry, offering a wide variety of products to satisfy diverse tastes and preferences around the world. The company operates a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility specializing in extruded salty snacks, popcorn, tortilla chips, and pretzels , serving diverse markets worldwide. 
As part of the R&D team at Dishaka (Salty Snacks Manufacturing Company), the Associate R&D Project Lead 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 escalate 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.Requirements:

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 manufacturing 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.