Head of Innovation (R&D)

Job Description

Location: Remote with 70% travel

Category: Sauce/Seasonings

*This is not a role with Forcebrands

*Candidates must have sauce and/or seasoning experience

*Candidate must have experience in a company below $200M in revenue

Scope of Responsibilities

• Build our first formal innovation and commercialization operating system, including a stage-gate process, clear decision rights, timelines, cost targets, launch criteria, and cross-functional accountability.
• Create and manage a fact-based product pipeline, portfolio roadmap, and launch calendar grounded in consumer needs, category opportunity, retailer relevance, brand fit, and size of prize.
• Lead product development from concept refinement through formulation, packaging, sourcing, costing, operational readiness, retailer sell-in, and commercial launch.
• Advance near-term priorities and a focused portfolio of authentic Hispanic seasonings, while defining the longer-term roadmap across sauces, marinades, condiments, and flavor enhancers.
• Own packaging and price-pack innovation, including club-ready formats, pack architecture, retailer-specific requirements, and solutions that support strong shelf presence and attractive economics.
• Build and manage a high-performing external partner network spanning comanufacturers, formulation partners, flavor and seasoning houses, ingredient suppliers, packaging vendors, and external labs.
• Determine the right path for each opportunity - internal manufacturing, comanufacturing, or licensing - while ensuring quality, authenticity, margin, speed, and scalability.
• Partner closely with the CEO, board, commercial leaders, operations, supply chain, and the Vernon production team to pressure-test opportunities, manage execution risks, and bring multiple launches to market with discipline.

Executive Profile

• A proven builder who has created or materially upgraded an innovation or product development capability within a growth-stage food or consumer products business.
• A hands-on commercialization leader who has repeatedly moved food products from concept to shelf and understands that successful innovation extends well beyond formulation.
• A commercially minded operator with enough food science and culinary fluency to evaluate product quality and feasibility, without approaching the role as a traditional lab or test-kitchen leader.