DIRECTOR, INNOVATION & R&D - BAKED GOODS

Mitch Miles; Clifton (NJ); On-site; USD 165,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401K program

PTO 20 days

Major holidays

Job summary

Mitch Miles seeks a Director of Innovation & R&D to drive product development for our bakery portfolio. The role oversees the Bake Excellence program and collaborates with Baking, Quality, Operations, and Engineering to qualify, optimize, and commercialize new products.

The position requires a food science background, baking technologies, and strong project management with exceptional leadership. Five-day facility presence is expected, plus travel to shows and customer visits.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years in the food industry, with at least 10 years in R&D/Innovation and bakery-focused work.
• Strong project-management and leadership capabilities.
• Background in baking technologies and food science is required.

Responsibilities

• Structure a 3-year plan for new bakery products engaging Marketing and consumer trends.
• Create and run a Stage-Gate process for ideation and commercialization of new products.
• Develop and maintain quality control procedures for test materials and finished products.
• Oversee lab/kitchen procedures for testing, presentations and samples for customers.
• Travel domestically and internationally to food shows and customer visits.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Education

College educated

Baking or Culinary Scientist background

Job description

Our client, a hugely successful, innovative, and well established bakery products company is experiencingenormous growth and now seeking a Director, Innovation & R&D as an addition to staff:

Job Title: Director, Innovation & R&D

Department:

R&D/Innovation; ‘Bake Excellence’

Reports to:

Ownership

Collaborates with:

Baking

Direct Reports:

Food Scientists/Technologists; Application Chefs/Bakers; Lab Techs.

Overview:

‘Imagineer’ and oversee all aspects of Research and Development activities related to the creation and betterment of our company’s bread and baked goods products.

Collaborate with Baking, Quality, Operations, Engineering and other Departments to qualify, optimize, and commercialize these new products and their processing, always with the goal to meet and exceed our customers' demands and expectations.

This position requires a resourceful background in food science, baking technologies, and project management, along with exceptional leadership and collaboration skills.

Presence Expectations:

• Presence in the Facility, spanning five work days per week;
• ‘On the R&D/Production Floor’ Presence during trials, troubleshooting, initial commercializing;
• ‘In the Lab’ during Reviews and Meetings;
• ‘On the Road’ for Food and/or Ingredient Shows and Conferences; occasional Presentational or Technical visits to Customers; at will to seek new ideas.

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Essential Company-Wide Duties:

• Be a ‘Bake Excellence’ Steward who supports and protects the Mission and Culture of our Company.
• Exemplify Transformative Leadership.
• Maintain a Safe and Sanitary Working Environment for all employees.
• Support highest level Food Safety Program and Culture.

Infuse Purpose, Clarity, Energy, and Opportunity to your Department and Workforce.

• Promote and Support Training and Growth of Personnel, inclusive direct training by you to those who directly report to you; while, equally, showing those directly under you the foundations to train those directly under them; etc.
• Create a Platform of Walk-Throughs, Meetings, Huddles and Reviews that are efficient, informative, and preliminary for ensuing follow up actions; you shall moderate those meetings that need your direct involvement.
• Support your departments with measured and sensible Metrics, which will become consolidated into accurate and detailed Reporting, presented daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.

Departmental and Positional Responsibilities:

Intimately Know Our Products, Our Equipment’s Capabilities, Our Markets, Our Customers- and their needs;

• Structure a 3 Year Plan for New Products, engaging Marketing and Consumer Trends;
• Create and exercise a Stage-Gate Process that will collaborate with supporting personnel and departments to ideate and imagineer the development and subsequent commercialization of new bakery products, including, but not limited to, new breads, bread-based snacks, filled / folded handheld breads, par baked breads, frozen dough, non-flour based baked goods and sweet goods;
• Develop and maintain quality control procedures for test raw materials, ingredients, and finished products to ensure consistent product quality and food safety during testing and development.
• Establish proper laboratory and kitchen procedures to ensure the proper testing of products, use of equipment, delivery of samples to customers and preparation of presentations for visiting customers and clients.
• Manage sensory evaluations and laboratory testing to monitor and improve product attributes and shelf life.
• Stay updated with food safety regulations and industry standards to ensure products meet all necessary requirements.
• Work with Baking, Processing and continuous Improvement to provide improvements and/or savings to products and production;
• Attend, present and represent the company at food shows, supplier/customer events, Customer presentation and/or ‘pilot’ runs;
• Travel to different markets, both domestic and global, to keep abreast with changing Consumer trends;

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QUALIFICATIONS

• College educated, though no specification as to major;
• Baking or Culinary Scientist or Equivalence
• ‘Foodie’ Friendly
• Project-Management highly skilled
• Minimum 15 years of experience working within the Food Industry; minimum 10 years of those years involved in R&D/Innovation; vast experience working with ‘Bakery’

COMPENSATION

• $165K to $200K Base Annual Salary, pending Qualifications
• Incentives based on Scorecard and/or mutually agreed Goals and Timelines
• Medical, 401K Programs
• 20 PTO Days annually
• Major Holidays

This is a growth opportunity with an industry leader!