Research & Development Manager

Research & Development (R&D) Manager – Cheese Manufacturing

Employment Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire

Location: Lena IL

Salary Range: $120,000 - $135,000 Annually

A local employer is seeking a Research & Development (R&D) Manager to support the development, testing, and improvement of cheese products and manufacturing processes. This position will work closely with Production, Quality Assurance, Food Safety, and Operations to develop new products, optimize existing formulations, improve yields and consistency, and ensure products meet quality, regulatory, and customer requirements. The ideal candidate has a strong understanding of dairy and cheese manufacturing, food science, product development, and manufacturing processes, along with the ability to translate laboratory concepts into successful commercial-scale production while leading the R&S department.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and improve cheese products, formulations, and processing methods.
• Conduct bench-top trials, pilot-scale trials, and plant trials.
• Evaluate cheese characteristics including flavor, texture, moisture, color, meltability, firmness, and shelf life.
• Develop and maintain product formulations, specifications, and processing parameters.
• Troubleshoot product and process issues and identify root causes.
• Work with Production to scale laboratory and pilot formulations to commercial production.
• Conduct product testing and organize sensory evaluations.
• Support shelf-life studies and product stability testing.
• Identify opportunities to improve product yield, quality, consistency, and manufacturing efficiency.
• Evaluate ingredients, cultures, enzymes, additives, packaging materials, and alternative suppliers.
• Maintain accurate records of trials, test results, formulations, and product development activities.
• Prepare technical reports and communicate trial results and recommendations to management.
• Partner with Quality Assurance and Food Safety to ensure new and modified products meet applicable standards and requirements.
• Assist with customer-specific product development and product customization.
• Support commercialization of new products from initial concept through full-scale production.
• Participate in continuous improvement and cost-reduction projects.
• Stay current with developments in dairy science, cheese technology, ingredients, processing technology, and food industry trends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, or a related field.
• Experience with food or dairy product development, preferably cheese manufacturing.
• Understanding of food safety, sanitation, and quality systems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to conduct and document laboratory and production trials.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
• Ability to work effectively with Production, Quality, Maintenance, and Operations teams.

Sedona Staffing is an Equal Opportunity Employer.