Director, Research & Development

At Philz, every product we create is an opportunity to deepen the experience our customers know and love. We’re looking for a Director of Research & Development to shape the technical future of our product portfolio and build the R&D capabilities that will support Philz as we grow. Bringing deep expertise in food science, ingredients, sensory, process development, and commercialization, this leader will help turn bold product ideas into high-quality, scalable experiences across beverages, food, and other customer-facing offerings. Partnering closely with Product Innovation, Operations, Supply Chain, and business leaders, the Director will establish the technical standards, processes, and discipline that allow Philz to innovate with rigor, move with agility, and protect the quality and consistency that define our brand.

This role is currently remote and must be based within the Greater Los Angeles area. Our teams will return to a hybrid office environment in Long Beach, CA in Q1 of 2027.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Technical R&D Strategy & Partnership

• Partner with Product Innovation to translate the long-term product portfolio strategy across beverages, food, and other customer-facing offerings into a technical R&D roadmap, identifying formulation, process, equipment, supplier, quality, and capability requirements needed to deliver it.
• Provide technical input on product-category opportunities and the Product Innovation pipeline, identifying feasibility, ingredient and technology opportunities, process and equipment requirements, supplier capabilities, quality risks, cost implications, and scalability constraints.
• Assess the technical health and complexity of the portfolio and recommend opportunities to improve product consistency, quality, cost, ingredient or process simplification, and operational scalability.
• Assess emerging consumer and category trends for their technical implications and identify science-, ingredient-, or process-led opportunities that may enable future innovation.
• Develop a multi-year technical R&D roadmap aligned to the Product Innovation portfolio roadmap, including technical research, quality improvements, supplier development, and process or equipment needs.

Research, Product Development & Commercialization

• Lead technical research and development once an opportunity or product brief is established by Product Innovation, from technical discovery through formulation, prototyping, sensory validation, pilot testing, scale-up, commercialization, and post-launch technical optimization.
• Direct formulation, recipe development, ingredient functionality, and process development for beverages and food, ensuring approved product concepts can be delivered safely, consistently, efficiently, and at the intended sensory quality across a multi-unit retail environment and by frontline store teams.
• Own technical commercialization, including final recipes and specifications, supplier and plant trials, process validation, shelf-life and quality validation, troubleshooting, technical risk assessment, and launch readiness.
• Partner with Product Innovation, Supply Chain, Operations, Strategy, Marketing, Technology and Finance to ensure products meet safety, labeling, nutrition, quality, operational, and financial requirements.
• Apply sensory science to translate consumer learning and target product attributes into measurable technical targets, assess prototypes, confirm product quality and consistency, and guide formulation optimization; support consumer testing when technical learning is required.

Technical Feasibility, Cost & Investment Input

• Provide technical cost, capital, complexity, risk, and resource inputs used by Finance, product teams and business leadership to evaluate product opportunities and portfolio investments.
• Provide technical recommendations and resource implications to inform portfolio prioritization discussions and business decisions.
• Monitor post-launch technical performance, product consistency, quality issues, waste, process execution and other R&D measures; use learnings to improve formulations, processes and future development.

R&D Governance, Product Development & Organizational Capability

• Define the R&D operating model, including roles, decision rights, technical governance, standards, and expectations across the product lifecycle.
• Co-develop the end-to-end stage-gate framework with Product Innovation and lead the technical criteria required to move approved concepts through formulation, validation, scale-up, commercialization, and post-launch learning. Product Innovation owns the innovation brief, consumer proposition and consumer validation; R&D owns technical feasibility and readiness.
• Establish the technical standards and readiness criteria for formulation robustness, sensory quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, quality, shelf life, operational feasibility, process capability, specifications, supply continuity, scalability, and technical launch readiness.
• Continuously improve the technical tools, documentation, systems, processes, and operating rhythms used to manage R&D and commercialization across Philz, in partnership with Product Innovation and Operations.
• Develop a multi-year R&D capability plan identifying the laboratory, technology, specialized expertise, and external technical resources required as the business and product portfolio grow.

Enterprise Leadership & Partnership

• Serve as the senior technical advisor to leadership on product feasibility, formulation and process risk, food safety, quality, regulatory requirements, scalability, technical capabilities, and R&D investment needs.
• Partner with Operations, Brand, Marketing, Finance, Strategy, Supply Chain, Development, Technology, and other senior functional leaders to ensure product strategy reflects both customer and enterprise needs.
• Surface and resolve technical and operational trade-offs involving product quality, recipe integrity, food safety, process complexity, labor, equipment, cost, supply and scalability; escalate broader product or portfolio trade-offs to the appropriate business leaders.
• Build alignment among senior stakeholders around technical priorities, R&D capability needs, product-development risks, and significant technical investments.
• Represent the R&D and technical product-development perspective in annual planning, growth strategy, and other enterprise decision-making forums.

Team & Capability Leadership

• Build and lead the R&D organization as Philz grows, defining the future team structure and roles required to support an expanding product portfolio and store footprint; recruit, onboard, coach, and develop R&D talent as resources are added.
• Remove organizational barriers and resolve issues that require senior-level cross-functional alignment or escalation.
• Manage strategic external partners, consultants, research resources, or specialized development capabilities as needed.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

• Bachelor's degree in food science, food engineering, chemistry, or a related technical field, plus 7+ years of progressively responsible experience bringing food or beverage products from idea to market. Experience in a multi-unit retail food and beverage, café, coffee, or restaurant environment is strongly preferred; coffee and specialty beverage experience is preferred.
• Deep hands-on experience developing and commercializing products through a structured stage-gate process, from formulation and validation through scale-up and operational readiness. Beverage development experience is strongly preferred, particularly coffee and specialty beverages that must translate into simple, repeatable store-level recipes and operating procedures.
• Demonstrated experience building R&D capability and leading technical talent, including direct reports and/or matrixed technical resources, with the ability to design, recruit and develop a high-performing R&D team as Philz grows.
• A track record of creating products customers choose again and again - products with a clear point of difference, sound technical foundations, and an experience that delivers on the Philz brand.
• Strong knowledge of sensory science and the ability to translate consumer learning into technical product targets, formulation decisions, and quality standards.
• Curiosity about emerging ingredients, food science, processing technologies, nutrition and labeling requirements, and broader food and beverage trends, with the ability to identify relevant technical implications and opportunities for Philz.
• Deep working knowledge of food safety, regulatory requirements, labeling, nutrition, quality systems, shelf-life validation, specifications, and the role each plays in responsible product development and commercialization.
• A practical, analytical problem solver who can get to the root of technical challenges, make thoughtful trade-offs, and keep work moving forward.
• Clear and influential written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to make complex technical information understandable and actionable for partners across Philz.
• Strong organization and follow-through, with the ability to set priorities, build realistic plans, and deliver across multiple workstreams.
• Strong project leadership skills and a collaborative working style that brings R&D, Product Innovation, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Brand, Marketing, Finance, and other partners together around a shared outcome.
• Excellent attention to detail without losing sight of the bigger picture; able to manage multiple priorities, identify risks early, and create practical paths forward.
• Strong technical judgment across formulation, recipe development, ingredient functionality, food safety, regulatory compliance, quality systems, process development, store execution, scale-up, commercialization, and troubleshooting, with particular strength translating technical solutions into simple, repeatable processes that can be consistently executed by frontline teams across a multi-unit retail environment.
• Ability to build simple, effective R&D ways of working and development tools that help Philz innovate with greater consistency and speed.
• Willing and able to travel moderately to support supplier work, trials, commercialization, store or market learning, and other business needs.
• Comfortable working safely across the environments where Philz products come to life, including offices, labs, supplier facilities, and manufacturing settings where noise and other occupational hazards may be present.

**Compensation & Benefits

A reasonable estimate of the annual salary for this role is $150,000 to $170,000. Please note that the salary will vary based on qualifications, previous experience, and work location.

When you join our team, we better your days through our benefits and support programs – we offer our team members medical, dental, and vision insurance, company-paid basic life insurance, optional family life insurance, 401(k) with company match, flexible spending accounts, commuter benefits, mental health support, holiday pay, Flexible Time Off & Sick Time, Team Member discounts, freebie drinks and discounted beans, fun Philz swag, opportunities for growth and advancement, and more!

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