Research & Development Manager

Purpose

The R&D Manager leads product development for Golding, with responsibility for translating customer, competitive and market targets into commercially viable sauces, dressings, marinades, condiments, beverage syrups, beverages and related products. This role combines strong technical product development capability with people leadership, disciplined project management, culinary understanding and customer focus. The Manager will lead a team from product discovery and reverse engineering through formulation, validation, scale up and commercialization while ensuring products meet customer expectations for sensory, nutrition, cost, quality, regulatory requirements and manufacturing capability. This role operates in a fast paced, customer driven development environment and requires a confident, highly organized self-starter who can manage multiple projects and competing priorities simultaneously, make sound technical decisions and maintain a strong sense of urgency without sacrificing quality or attention to detail.

Primary Tasks:

• Lead, coach and develop the R&D team, establishing clear priorities, accountability, technical rigor and development plans.
• Own technical execution of customer projects from concept through commercialization, including private label and branded co manufacturing programs, new products, product matching, renovations, cost optimization and continuous improvement.
• Lead reverse engineering of national brand, competitive and customer benchmark products by translating sensory, ingredient declaration, nutrition, analytical and processing information into technically sound formulations.
• Provide technical and culinary leadership across sauces, dressings, marinades, condiments, beverage syrups, beverages and related applications, including ingredient functionality, flavor systems, texture, emulsification, viscosity, acidity and product stability.
• Set formulation, sensory, nutritional, analytical and process targets and ensure development work is supported by sound experimental design, documentation and data based decision making.
• Manage a high volume, fast moving development pipeline across multiple customers and product categories, effectively prioritizing resources, balancing competing deadlines and proactively communicating risks, decisions and next steps.
• Partner directly with sales, customers and commercial teams to understand product expectations, present prototypes, translate feedback into technical action and build confidence in Golding's development capabilities.
• Partner cross functionally with Sales, Operations, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, Commercial, Finance and Engineering to ensure products are designed for manufacturability and successfully transferred from bench to plant.
• Plan and lead plant trials, first productions and commercialization activities. Troubleshoot formulation and processing issues and provide technical support through startup and ongoing production as needed.
• Identify opportunities to improve formulations, processes, ingredients and development methods to strengthen product quality, margin, speed to market and customer value.
• Build strong relationships with ingredient and flavor suppliers and leverage external technical resources to accelerate development and solve complex formulation challenges.
• Ensure R&D activities and documentation comply with applicable food safety, regulatory, labeling, customer and Good Manufacturing Practice requirements.
• Performs additional duties as assigned that are consistent with the scope, level of responsibility, and essential functions of this position in support of departmental and operational objectives.

Leadership Profile:

• The successful candidate will be a hands on technical leader who can move comfortably between the bench, the customer and the manufacturing floor. This individual should bring structure to a fast moving development environment, ask strong technical questions, develop people, communicate clearly and maintain a high standard for execution. Success in this role requires both culinary curiosity and scientific discipline, with a strong understanding that customer development, whether for private label or branded co-manufacturing programs, must deliver against defined product targets while also meeting Golding's manufacturing and financial requirements.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Culinary Science or a related field required. Advanced degree is a plus.
• Minimum 7 years of food product development experience, with demonstrated progression in technical responsibility. Prior people leadership experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated product development experience in sauces, dressings, marinades, condiments, beverage syrups, beverages or similar liquid and semi solid food systems. Strong experience in sauces and dressings preferred.
• Strong experience with product matching and reverse engineering, including the ability to reconstruct competitive products using ingredient statements, nutrition information, sensory evaluation, analytical data and technical knowledge.
• Strong understanding of ingredient functionality and interactions, formulation principles, sensory evaluation, shelf life, food safety and processing considerations relevant to sauces and dressings.
• Demonstrated ability to move products successfully from bench development through pilot or plant trials and commercial production.
• Exceptional organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple customers, projects, priorities and deadlines in a fast paced environment.
• Proven ability to lead, coach and develop technical employees and create a collaborative, accountable team environment.
• Strong written, verbal and presentation skills with the ability to communicate effectively with customers, technical teams, plant teams and senior leadership.
• Confident, self directed and resourceful, with demonstrated ability to take ownership, make decisions and move work forward with limited direction.
• Ability to remain agile as priorities change while maintaining technical rigor, attention to detail and accountability for commitments.
• Ability to travel as required to support customers, plant trials, commercialization and supplier activities.