Beverage R&D Manager: Tea & Coffee Innovation Lead

CHAGEE USA; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

CHAGEE USA is seeking a proactive R&D Manager to drive new beverage development from ideation to execution across our tea and coffee platforms. You will lead cross-functional teams and manage co-packers, regulatory considerations, and nutrition analyses to deliver scalable products for U.S. markets.

The role requires hands-on product development, strong project management, and the ability to anticipate risks and deliver high-quality, market-ready beverages.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or a related field.
• Experience in food and beverage R&D and product development.
• Experience with beverage development including tea and coffee.
• Experience taking products from concept through commercialization and scale‑up.
• Experience working with co-packers, contract manufacturers and ingredient suppliers.
• Strong understanding of formulation, processing, quality, shelf life, and commercialization.
• Experience with nutrition analysis/audits and labeling requirements.
• Strong project management and cross-functional communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end beverage development from concept through commercialization.
• Develop and optimize formulations focused on tea, flavor, texture, sweetness, and functionality.
• Translate brand and business needs into viable product concepts.
• Conduct sensory evaluation, stability testing and product optimization.
• Establish specifications, ingredients and quality requirements; ensure scalable production.
• Oversee co-packers and external partnerships; manage scale-up and commercialization with partners.
• Coordinate nutrition analyses, audits and labeling compliance; maintain documentation.
• Own R&D project timelines, milestones and cross-functional execution; communicate status to leadership.

Skills

Food Science

Beverage development

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Regulatory/nutrition knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science

Job description

CHAGEE USA is seeking a proactive R&D Manager to drive new beverage development from ideation to execution across our tea and coffee platforms. You will lead cross-functional teams and manage co-packers, regulatory considerations, and nutrition analyses to deliver scalable products for U.S. markets.

The role requires hands-on product development, strong project management, and the ability to anticipate risks and deliver high-quality, market-ready beverages.