Beverage R&D Commercialization Director

Sunny Sky Products; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Sunny Sky Products is seeking a Director of R&D Technical Commercialization in Houston, TX. This role bridges bench science and market execution, ensuring formulations are production-ready and scalable across multiple plants.

You will manage the handoff from formulation to launch, collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain, and uphold a disciplined stage-gate process to de-risk projects and meet milestones.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in food and beverage R&D with commercialization experience.
• Hands-on thermal-process expertise across beverage production types.
• Strong TA, pH, and Brix discipline for product design.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements and shelf-life validation.
• Experience managing multi-project portfolios with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the handoff from R&D to commercial launch, including scale-up and shelf-life validation.
• Serve as the primary liaison between R&D and Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain.
• Maintain a stage-gate commercialization process with risk flags and milestone tracking.
• Translate technical outputs into commercial-ready language for stakeholders and customers.
• Lead lab operations and mentor product scientists and technicians.

Skills

R&D leadership

Commercialization

Thermal processing

TA pH Brix

Project portfolio mgmt

Cross-functional collab

Regulatory knowledge

Beverage formulation

Stage-gate dev

Lab leadership

Education

Bachelor's in Food Science

Master's preferred

Tools

Smartsheet

Asana

Job description

Sunny Sky Products is seeking a Director of R&D Technical Commercialization in Houston, TX. This role bridges bench science and market execution, ensuring formulations are production-ready and scalable across multiple plants.

You will manage the handoff from formulation to launch, collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain, and uphold a disciplined stage-gate process to de-risk projects and meet milestones.