Chocolate & Creams R&D Manager - NPD Leader

irca Group; Affton (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401(k) matching

Paid Vacation

Holidays

Employee Education Tuition Reimburse./

Job summary

The Irca Group is a global leader providing high quality ingredients for bakery, pastry, and ice cream sectors. We seek aProject R&D Manager – Chocolate & Creams to lead development from concept to commercialization, overseeing reformulation, pilot trials, and cross-functional execution across production, quality, and procurement.

You will drive innovation, ensure product quality and regulatory compliance, and collaborate with Sales and Marketing to support customer projects while traveling up

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field is required.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in product development, commercialization, or food manufacturing.
• Experience leading large-scale NPD projects.
• Strong background in customer-facing roles within a B2B/supplier environment.
• Ability to travel up to 20%.

Responsibilities

• Lead R&D projects related to chocolate and creams from concept through scale-up and launch.
• Develop and reformulate products based on customer requirements and market trends.
• Coordinate pilot plant trials, lab experiments, and industrial validations with cross-functional teams.
• Support innovation roadmap by proposing new ideas, technologies, and ingredients.
• Ensure product specifications, docs, and datasheets are accurate and maintained.
• Evaluate raw materials with suppliers to ensure quality and availability.
• Collaborate with Quality Assurance on food safety and shelf-life targets.
• Provide technical support and samples to Sales and Marketing for customer projects.
• Monitor industry trends to drive innovation and differentiation.
• Manage multiple projects with timelines and budgets.

Skills

R&D project leadership

Product development

Cross-functional collaboration

Lab experimentation

Food safety knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field

Job description

The Irca Group is a global leader providing high quality ingredients for bakery, pastry, and ice cream sectors. We seek aProject R&D Manager – Chocolate & Creams to lead development from concept to commercialization, overseeing reformulation, pilot trials, and cross-functional execution across production, quality, and procurement.

You will drive innovation, ensure product quality and regulatory compliance, and collaborate with Sales and Marketing to support customer projects while traveling up