Sr. Manager Retail, Research and Development

R&D Manager For Retail Dressings, Dips, And Sauces

The Marzetti Company manufactures and sells specialty food products. Our retail brands include Marzetti dressings and dips, New York Bakery garlic breads, and Sister Schubert's dinner rolls, in addition to exclusive license agreements for Olive Garden dressings, Chick-fil-A sauces and dressings, Buffalo Wild Wings sauces, Arby's sauces, Subway sauces, and Texas Roadhouse steak sauces and frozen rolls. Our foodservice business supplies sauces, dressings, breads, and pasta to many of the top restaurant chains in the United States. At Marzetti, our mission is to make every meal better through high-quality, flavorful food. Led by our purpose, to nourish growth with all that we do, our team members are dedicated to creating great tasting food and cultivating deep and lasting relationships.

Leads R&D for Retail Dressings, Dips, and Sauces portfolio, owning product development from design through commercialization and launch. Accountable for delivering a pipeline of products that meet quality, cost, and performance targets while ensuring successful scale-up and manufacturing execution.

Partners closely with Innovation R&D to transition concepts into development and leads concept development for line extensions, renovations, and customer-driven initiatives. Leads and develops a team of food scientists and serves as a key cross-functional partner to drive business results.

This role serves as the critical bridge between innovation and executionleading targeted concept development for existing brands, enabling the successful transition of breakthrough ideas from Innovation R&D, and ensuring products are delivered effectively at scale.

Bachelor's degree in food science, Food Engineering, Microbiology, Chemistry, or related field

10+ years of experience in food product development and/or manufacturing, including formulation and commercialization.

Proven ability to scale products from development to plant production.

Strong knowledge of food science principles, including formulation, food safety, and product/process interactions.

Understanding of regulatory requirements, GMP, HACCP, and labeling

Ability to develop products that balance quality, cost, and manufacturability.

Experience leading projects and influencing cross-functional teams.

Effective communication skills and ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, changing environment.

Directly supervises 3-4 R & D scientists. Supervisory responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, training, goal setting, scheduling, appraising, and terminating employees; planning, assigning, prioritizing, and directing work; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints/issues and resolving problems.

Works in a laboratory and manufacturing environment where the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, climb, crouch, reach and bend while moving about the facility. Requires some lifting of moderately heavy items such as test equipment and product cases. The noise level in the lab is moderate and loud in the plant. Hairnets, earplugs, goggles, and gloves are required in accordance with GMP and safety standards.