Research and Development Manager - Food ManufacturingScheduler

Position Title: R&D Manager – Food ManufacturingLocation: Phoenix, AZ (Onsite)SummaryA growing, high-quality food manufacturing organization is seeking an experienced R&D Manager to lead new product development and commercialization from concept through production. This role provides critical technical leadership in food science, formulation, process development, and plant scale-up while driving continuous improvement across existing product lines.Essential Duties and Responsibilities include but are not limited to:Lead full-lifecycle product development, pilot trials, plant trials, and commercial launches.Develop and optimize formulations based on customer specifications, regulatory guidelines, and operational requirements.Apply advanced food science principles to enhance product quality, shelf life, ingredient functionality, and manufacturing performance.Establish detailed product specifications, processing procedures, and raw material standards.Oversee product evaluations, shelf-life studies, and process validation testing.Deliver expert technical support to Operations, Quality, Regulatory, and Sales teams.Ensure strict compliance with FDA, HACCP, GMP, SQF, BRC, and food labeling requirements.Evaluate new ingredients, suppliers, and emerging food processing technologies.Lead, mentor, and guide R&D team members while managing multiple high-priority development projects simultaneously.QualificationsBachelor’s degree in Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline.5+ years of hands-on food product development and commercialization experience in a manufacturing environment.Proven track record with plant trials, commercial scale-up, process validation, and food production.Strong working knowledge of ingredient functionality, food chemistry, thermal processing, pH, emulsions, and shelf-life stability.Deep understanding of FDA, HACCP, GMP, BRC, and food labeling regulations.Demonstrated leadership, project management, analytical, and cross-functional communication skills.Preferred:Master’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or a related field.Prior experience managing and mentoring direct reports within an R&D laboratory or plant environment.