R&D PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Our client is a global leader in caramel colors and specialty caramel ingredients, with over a century of experience supporting the food and beverage industry! They offer a broad portfolio of clean-label solutions, including liquid and powdered caramel colors, burnt sugars, and syrups used across a wide range of applications. Known for their quality, consistency, and innovation, our client serves customers around the world with both standard and custom formulations! The R&D Product Development Manager drives innovation by leading the development of new products, processes, and raw material research, bringing ideas from concept to commercialization. This role ensures projects are executed efficiently and in full compliance with safety, food safety, and environmental standards, while coordinating trials across pilot and production environments. Partnering closely with customers and internal commercial teams, the position plays a key role in aligning innovation with market needs. Additionally, it provides leadership and mentorship to core R&D team members, fostering a high-performing and collaborative environment.

Key Responsibilities:

Leads the development and design of new products aligned with regional and global strategies, in close collaboration with commercial and R&D teams Applies deep expertise in manufacturing processes and scientific methodologies to ensure feasibility and effective execution Manages R&D projects end-to-end, including planning, trials, validation, and industrial scale-up, while meeting key timelines Ensures new products and raw materials meet production, quality, food safety, and environmental standards Collaborates cross-functionally with production and quality teams to support product development and continuous improvement Provides technical guidance, solutions, and training to customers and internal stakeholders Supports customer engagement and project execution through approximately 15-20% travel

Requirements:

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry or a related scientific field required A minimum of 5-10 years of R&D experience in food or beverage manufacturing (ingredients or finished product) Ability to lead, coach, and mentor R&D team Proven success taking projects from concept to commercialization Capable of performing complex mathematical calculations and maintaining accurate data records Knowledge of GFSI standards for food safety Understanding of FDA, USDA, or international regulations

Preferred:

Master's Degree Background in sensory analysis #IND123