Head of R&D and Innovation

The R&D Manager at Kevin's Natural Foods plays a critical role in driving the innovation and development of our clean-label product portfolio. This role is responsible for leading the Product Development team, overseeing the commercialization process from concept to production, and ensuring new and optimized products meet our high-quality, nutritious, and flavorful standards. This position combines technical expertise in food science with strategic leadership, project management, and cross-functional collaboration to support Kevin's mission: empowering even the busiest people to eat clean without sacrificing flavor.
Lead, mentor, and develop an R&D product development team, fostering a culture of innovation, curiosity, and accountability.

• Oversee all aspects of new product development from ideation, recipe creation, pilot production, scale-up, and commercialization.
• Drive project prioritization, resource allocation, and timelines to ensure efficient and successful product launches.
• Collaborate with nutritionists, QA/QC, and culinary teams to ensure products meet nutritional, sensory, and safety standards.
• Evaluate and implement emerging food trends, new ingredients, and innovative processing techniques.
• Partner with Marketing, Sales, and Brand teams to support product launches, packaging, development, and marketing campaigns.
• Serve as the primary R&D liaison for label approvals (GFCO/Paleo/NGPV/USDA) and regulatory compliance.
• Troubleshoot production issues, monitor consistency and quality, and optimize manufacturing processes.
• Other duties as assigned to support the growth and evolution of Kevin's Natural Foods.
• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Nutrition, or Culinary School certification; Minimum 5 years of experience in food product development in a manufacturing environment, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Deep knowledge of ingredient functionality, flavor development, sensory evaluation, and clean-label product development.
• Strong understanding of food science principles, GMP, HACCP, food safety, and regulatory compliance.
• Proven experience managing teams, projects, and cross-functional initiatives in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and project management skills.
• Proficiency with nutritional software, quality systems, spreadsheets, and lab documentation.

Kevin's Natural Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The team at Kevin's is smart, humble, and passionate and we value a work environment that fosters personal development and opportunities to move within our small, but quickly growing organization.
More About Kevin's Natural Foods:
Kevin's Natural Foods is a line of healthy entrées, sides, and sauces, on a mission to make clean eating delicious and accessible. With restaurant-quality ingredients and recipes, Kevin's products are readily available on the shelves at leading grocery retailers nationwide including Costco, Whole Foods, Albertsons, HEB and Publix. A true market disruptor, Kevin's Natural Foods is the first clean refrigerated entrée brand.
Salary Range: $130,000.00- $155,000.00 annually + benefits + bonus