Manager, Research & Development

Role overview

Title: Manager, Research & Development

Department: Research & Development

Reports to: VP, Research & Development

Experience: 5–8 years in CPG food product development, including at least 3 years leading projects end to end

Location: Remote, US-based, with regular travel to co-manufacturers and suppliers

The R&D Manager is a technical lead for research and development at Khloud Foods. This person leads commercialization from concept to full-scale production across our co-manufacturing network. They also drive quality, cost, and yield improvements on existing products, and run the sensory program that decides when a product is ready.

This is a hands-on, individual contributor role with no direct reports. You will set technical standards and processes that let the business scale, and still get on the plant floor to solve problems. You will work closely with Operations, FSQA, Procurement, Supply Chain, and Marketing.

Key responsibilities

Product development and commercialization

• Lead development of new products, line extensions, renovations, and cost-optimization projects across multiple snack formats (popcorn, chips, etc.)

• Partner with Marketing to turn consumer insights and product concepts into formulas that meet sensory, cost, manufacturing, regulatory, and retailer requirements.

• Define product requirements, assess technical and food safety feasibility, and support claims substantiation (such as protein content and quality) with Regulatory.

• Evaluate ingredients and processing methods for performance, scalability, and cost.

• Own commercialization from feasibility through full-scale production, so launches hit retailer dates.

• Lead plant trials, scale-ups, and process validations across multiple co-manufacturers, and make go/no-go calls.

• Solve the technical problems of high-protein formulas, such as hardness, dryness, binding, and off-notes.

• Research emerging ingredients, processing technologies, and category trends to feed the pipeline.

• Act as the primary technical resource for each product across its lifecycle.

Manufacturing support and continuous improvement

• Serve as the day-to-day technical lead for co-manufacturing partners.

• Partner with quality on root-cause investigations of significant quality, process, and production issues, and drive lasting fixes.

• Drive projects that improve yield, throughput, and consistency

Quality, cost, and performance

• Improve product quality, consistency, and consumer experience across the existing portfolio.

• Find and deliver cost savings through formula optimization, ingredient changes, and process gains without compromising product integrity.

• Use plant data, consumer feedback, and sensory results to prioritize improvements, and track KPIs for results.

Sensory studies: internal

• Run internal employee sensory work to rapidly inform product design decisions.

Sensory studies: external

• Scope and manage outside consumer research, including in-home use tests (IHUTs), central location tests, and competitive benchmarking.

• Write RFPs, select and manage research vendors, and drive timelines.

• Partner with Marketing and Insights on objectives, screeners, questionnaires, and action standards, and present findings to leadership.

Cross-functional leadership

• Partner with Operations, FSQA, Procurement, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Sales to align priorities and deliver launches.

• Communicate project status, risks, and recommendations to leadership.

• Build strong relationships with suppliers, co-manufacturers, and technical partners.

Documentation and governance

• Make sure formulas, process changes, validations, and technical learnings are documented, working with Technical Services.

• Set standards for project execution through the stage-gate process, including change control and document control.

• Drive continuous improvement in product development ways of working, tools, and team efficiency.

• Keep the project portfolio, timelines, and performance metrics visible to leadership.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related field.

• 5–8 years of progressive experience in CPG food product development, commercialization, or technical operations, including at least 3 years leading projects end to end.

• Experience with popcorn, baked or fried snacks.

• A track record of leading products from concept through scale-up, plant trials, and commercial launch.

• Strong formulation and ingredient functionality skills, with the judgment to balance sensory, quality, cost, and manufacturability.

• Experience leading trials and resolving technical issues with co-manufacturers

• Experience designing sensory tests (triangle, paired comparison, hedonic, descriptive) and managing outside consumer research vendors, including IHUTs.

• Working knowledge of food safety, quality systems, labeling, and retailer specifications.

• Strong project management skills and the ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.

• Travel of about 25–40%.

Preferred

• Experience with high protein or better for you products.

• Experience building R&D processes in a emerging, high-growth company

• Experience with continuous improvement or operational excellence methods.

Competencies and success measures

Core competencies

• Formulation judgment: knows which lever to pull for a texture, flavor, or cost problem.

• Sensory rigor: designs tests that answer the real business question and reads results without overclaiming.

• Decision-making: makes clear go/no-go calls with incomplete data and explains the trade-offs.

• Cross-functional influence: aligns Marketing, Operations, and Quality on what is ready to launch.

• Vendor management: gets good work from outside labs and research agencies on time and on budget.

Working conditions

• Regular travel to pilot plants, and production facilities, including exposure to allergens and PPE requirements.

• Travel of about 25–40%, including plant trials and occasional consumer research sessions.