R&D / Innovation Manager

Position: R&D / Innovation Manager

Location: Chicago, Illinois. This is a full-time on-site role.

Status: Permanent, full-time. This is a newly created opportunity!

Quadra is one of North America’s leading distributors of chemicals and ingredients, with facilities strategically located across the United States and Canada. Our people are our competitive advantage, and we are committed to delivering a best-in-class experience for customers and suppliers through expertise, collaboration, and execution.

Quadra has a well-established history of supporting customers through technical expertise, application development, formulation support, and innovation. As our U.S. Ingredients business continues to grow, we are investing in a new Ingredients Applications Lab in Chicago to bring these capabilities closer to our customers, suppliers and commercial team.

We are seeking a hands-on R&D / Innovation Manager to launch and lead this new facility. The successful candidate will play a critical role in providing technical support across the United States, partnering with sales and product marketing teams, supporting customer innovation and helping strengthen Quadra's position as a trusted solutions provider.

This is a unique build-and-lead opportunity. Initially, you will serve as the lab's primary technical resource, establishing equipment, workflows, programs, and operating practices while working directly with customers, suppliers, and internal stakeholders. As the business grows, you will help define future capabilities, recruit technical talent and build a high-performing applications team that supports Quadra's long-term growth strategy in the United States.

WHAT YOU WILL LEAD

• Launch and operationalize the Chicago Ingredients Applications Lab, including equipment readiness, laboratory workflows, safety practices, documentation, ingredient and sample management, and day-to-day operating standards.
• Develop a practical lab strategy and technical-support roadmap aligned with the growth priorities of the U.S. Ingredients business.
• Serve as the lead technical partner to the U.S. commercial team, providing formulation guidance, application troubleshooting, product comparisons, prototype development and customer-facing technical support.
• Translate customer needs and market trends into application concepts, demonstrations and prototypes that showcase Quadra’s ingredient portfolio and create commercial opportunities.
• Partner with sales and product marketing on customer calls, technical presentations, innovation sessions, product training, and targeted market campaigns.
• Build strong working relationships with strategic suppliers and identify opportunities to support supplier growth through prototypes, application data, technical storytelling, and customer engagement.
• Create and maintain a sample and prototype library, application protocols, formulation records, and reusable technical resources for the commercial team.
• Collaborate closely with Quality, Regulatory, Operations, Marketing and the broader North American R&D network to ensure solutions are practical, compliant and aligned with customer requirements.
• Establish meaningful measures for lab activity and impact, including project pipeline, responsiveness, prototype activity, customer engagement, and commercial outcomes.
• Assess future capability and talent needs; help define roles, recruit and onboard additional technical team members as business demand grows.
• Manage the lab operating budget and recommend future equipment or capability investments based on business priorities and customer needs.
• Represent Quadra at selected customer events, supplier meetings, industry conferences, and trade shows.

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE

• You are a builder who is energized by creating a new capability, establishing a structure, and turning a new lab into a valued commercial resource.
• You combine strong food science and formulation expertise with a practical, customer-focused and commercially curious mindset.
• You are comfortable being hands-on while also thinking strategically about how the lab and team should evolve.
• You are an effective project leader who can prioritize multiple requests, set expectations, and move work from concept to completion.
• You communicate technical information clearly to both scientific and non-technical audiences and are confident presenting to customers, suppliers and internal teams.
• You build trust across functions and enjoy working closely with Sales, Product Marketing, Quality, Regulatory, Operations and supplier partners.
• You are proactive, adaptable, resourceful, and accountable, with a continuous-improvement mindset and a bias for action.
• You are motivated by coaching others and, over time, building a strong team and an inclusive, high-performance lab culture.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or a related discipline; a master’s degree is considered a strong asset.
• Minimum of 10+ years of progressive R&D, applications, product development, or technical service experience in the food industry.
• Strong hands-on formulation and prototype-development experience across relevant food or nutrition application categories.
• Demonstrated experience of troubleshooting formulations and translating technical work into practical customer solutions.
• Experience establishing or improving laboratory processes, methods, documentation and operating practices is strongly preferred.
• Previous people leadership, team building, mentoring or project-leadership experience; experience recruiting and developing technical talent is an asset.
• Working knowledge of food safety, food microbiology, and good laboratory practices.
• Experience supporting commercialization or scale-up in a food production environment is an asset.
• Strong digital and documentation skills, including Microsoft 365. Experience with nutrition-formulation software such as Genesis is an asset.
• Ability to travel within the United States and occasionally across North America to support customers, suppliers and internal collaboration.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• The Chicago lab is safe, organized, operational, and recognized internally as a responsive, high-value resource.
• The U.S. commercial team has stronger technical confidence, better tools and more opportunities to engage customers through innovation.
• Customers and suppliers experience Quadra as a credible, solutions-oriented technical partner.
• Lab activities are connected to strategic priorities and contribute to a visible pipeline of customer projects and commercial opportunities.
• A clear, scalable plan is in place for future capabilities, equipment, and technical talent as the business grows.

KEY ATTRIBUTES

• Builder mindset
• Technical credibility
• Commercial curiosity
• Customer focus
• Leadership
• Collaboration
• Accountability
• Creativity
• Sense of urgency
• Problem solving
• Organization
• Dynamic communication

At Quadra, we offer not only an engaging culture, a collaborative, family-oriented and supportive environment, but also plenty of autonomy and flexibility. We also offer you the opportunity to be part of a professional, fun, innovative and committed team in a growing, people-oriented, Great Place to Work® certified organization.

The advantages of choosing this position at Quadra:

• Industry-Leading Work Environment: Join a company recognized for its exceptional culture, collaborative spirit, and people-first approach.
• Permanent, Full-Time Opportunity: Build a rewarding long-term career with a stable and growing organization.
• Competitive Compensation & Incentive Programs: Benefit from a strong compensation package that rewards your contributions and performance.
• Comprehensive Benefits Coverage: Access medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) designed to support your well-being.
• Personalized Learning & Development: Receive tailored training and development opportunities to help you succeed and grow professionally.
• Generous Time-Off Program: Enjoy vacation, personal days, and sick days that promote work-life balance and personal wellness.
• Health & Wellness Support: Take advantage of wellness initiatives and resources focused on your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
• 401(k) Match Program: Invest confidently in your future with our company-matched retirement savings plan.
• Family-Owned Values, Strong Foundation: Experience the benefits of a privately owned organization with a long-term vision, strong values, and a supportive culture.
• Award-Winning Employer: Be part of a certified Great Place to Work®, a WEConnect Women-Owned Business, and one of Canada's Best Managed Companies.
• Inclusive & Caring Culture: We celebrate diversity and foster an environment where respect, collaboration, and having fun are part of who we are.
• Career Growth Opportunities: Advance your career through meaningful development opportunities within a growing organization.
• Community & Social Engagement: Participate in social events, volunteer initiatives, and activities that help build meaningful connections.
• Recognition & Referral Rewards: Be recognized for your contributions through service awards, recognition programs, and employee referral bonuses.

Compensation:
The expected base salary range for this position is $125,000.00 to $198,600 USD per year, depending on your experience, skills, and qualifications. Our salary ranges are carefully benchmarked by role and level, ensuring competitive pay that rewards your expertise.

Total Rewards Package:
Your base salary is just the beginning! This role also includes a generous incentive program and comprehensive benefits , recognizing the value you bring. At Quadra, we offer a total rewards package designed to support and motivate our team, promoting both career growth and work-life balance.

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Quadra supports and values diversity and offer equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status and gender identity. Quadra also welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We recognize that some people do not identify themselves as either male or female. Therefore, whenever possible, we have opted for a gender-neutral wording in a non-discriminatory spirit.

Please note that Quadra recruiters only use official @quadragroup.com email addresses. We never request fees or sensitive personal information during recruitment. Be cautious if you receive messages from domains that look similar to Quadra Group but are not official. If in doubt, please contact us directly via our Careers page.