Research & Development Manager

Research & Development Manager

Walnut Creek, CA

BUILT ON FLAVOR. FUELED BY PEOPLE.

What's it like to work at Kinder's? Well, there's a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there's also plenty of hard work. Because we don't just like flavor, we're obsessed with it.

With over 100 products sold nationwide, we're now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We're not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.

As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you're looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you'll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.

What We Are Looking For:

At Kinder's, we're passionate about creating food that brings people together. The Manager, Research & Development will be responsible for supporting the development and execution of new and improved products across retail, club, and foodservice channels. This role will drive product formulation, process development, and innovation from concept through commercialization, ensuring every product meets Kinder's high standards for taste, quality, and scalability.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a hands-on role in a growing, values-driven food brand — partnering cross-functionally to deliver consumer-loved innovation that fuels Kinder's continued success.

What You'll Be Doing:

Lead Product Development

• Support the end-to-end product development process — from concept ideation to launch — ensuring alignment with brand priorities, timelines, and cost objectives.

Drive Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Identify and execute opportunities for innovation, renovation, and cost optimization across Kinder's portfolio, leveraging emerging ingredients, technologies, and process improvements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Operations, Marketing, Culinary, and Supply Chain to translate consumer insights into technically feasible, scalable, and commercially viable products.

Technical Execution & Scale-Up

• Support formulation work, pilot plant trials, and production scale-ups to ensure successful transfer from bench to manufacturing. Troubleshoot issues and optimize for quality and consistency.

Project Management

• Manage multiple projects concurrently, ensuring milestones, deliverables, and communication are clear and on track. Maintain visibility to leadership through status updates and documentation.

Regulatory & Quality Alignment

• Collaborate with Quality Assurance and Regulatory teams to ensure product compliance with ingredient standards, labeling requirements, and nutritional accuracy.

Team Collaboration & Development

• Contribute to a collaborative, curious, and accountable culture within the R&D team while supporting the development of junior team members and technicians.

What You Bring to the Table:

Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred).
• 6-10 years of experience in food product development.
• Proven success in CPG innovation; meat, sauces, seasonings, or condiments experience preferred.
• Strong technical knowledge of formulation, ingredient functionality, sensory evaluation, and scale-up.
• Excellent project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Effective communicator and collaborator across multiple functions and levels.
• Passion for great food and consumer-driven innovation.
• MUST BE ABLE TO TRAVEL UP TO 20%

Personal Characteristics:

• Results-oriented, hands-on leader who thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Collaborative and influential communicator who builds trust across teams.
• Curious, resourceful, and solution-oriented with strong attention to detail.
• Committed to quality, integrity, and continuous improvement.

Things About the Way We Work:

• No two days here are the same.
• We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don't live by hierarchy and structure – everyone is a difference maker here.
• We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information – our team embrace ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
• We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
• We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
• We aren't trying to be average – we want to do exceptional things and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.

The expected starting salary range for this role is $130,000- $150,000 per year.

We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range based on the location of the role. The amount a particular employee will earn within the salary range will be based on factors such as relevant education, qualifications, performance and business needs.

Benefits That Bring More to the Table:

We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave. Kinder's benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.

Our Recipe for Balance:

We believe great culture starts with people. We're a people-first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work-life balance and personal commitments.

Where Every Ingredient Matters:

Kinder's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at View email address on click.appcast.io