Chocolate & Creams R&D Project Lead

irca Group; Affton (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401(k) matching

Paid Vacation

Holidays

Employee Education Tuition Reimb.

Job summary

Irca Group is seeking a Project R&D Manager for Chocolate & Creams to lead development, reformulation, and industrialization from concept to commercialization. You will drive innovation, ensure product quality, and optimize processes while collaborating with production, quality, procurement, and marketing.

Ideal candidates have a Bachelor’s in Food Science and 7+ years in product development or food manufacturing, with strong NPD leadership and customer-facing experience in B2B environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related field.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in product development, commercialization, or food manufacturing.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale NPD projects.
• Strong background in customer-facing roles within 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, ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
• Develop and reformulate products based on customer requirements, market trends, cost optimization, and regulatory compliance.
• Coordinate pilot plant trials, lab experiments, and industrial validations with production, quality, procurement, and marketing.
• Support innovation roadmap by proposing new product ideas, technologies, and ingredients.
• Ensure product specifications, documentation, and data sheets are created and maintained accurately.
• Evaluate raw materials and ingredients with suppliers to ensure quality and availability.
• Collaborate with QA to ensure food safety, compliance, and shelf-life targets.
• Work with Sales and Marketing to provide technical support, presentations, and samples for customer projects.
• Monitor industry trends to drive innovation and differentiation.
• Manage multiple projects with timelines, budgets, and priorities.

Skills

Product development leadership

NPD project management

B2B customer-facing experience

Regulatory compliance knowledge

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related field

Job description

Irca Group is seeking a Project R&D Manager for Chocolate & Creams to lead development, reformulation, and industrialization from concept to commercialization. You will drive innovation, ensure product quality, and optimize processes while collaborating with production, quality, procurement, and marketing.

Ideal candidates have a Bachelor’s in Food Science and 7+ years in product development or food manufacturing, with strong NPD leadership and customer-facing experience in B2B environments.