New Product Development Lead – Food Manufacturing

Golden West Food Group; Vernon (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday Pay

Paid Time Off

Health Insurance

Vision Insurance

Life Insurance

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

401k

Job summary

Golden West Food Group, headquartered in Vernon, CA, seeks a Project Manager – New Product Development to lead product innovation from concept to launch. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, including R&D, QA, procurement, and manufacturing, to deliver new products that meet regulatory standards and business goals.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in food product development and strong project management and negotiation skills. Familiarity with co-packers and supplier networks is a plus.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Culinary Science, Food Technology, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of experience in food product development, commercialization, food manufacturing or related project management.
• Strong understanding of food formulation, ingredient functionality, and processing methods.
• Experience working with co-packers, suppliers, and production teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in project management tools (Smartsheet, Monday.com, or similar).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and adapt to evolving business needs.
• PMP certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end product development from ideation through launch, ensuring feasibility, scalability, and profitability.
• Collaborate with R&D, Sales, Marketing, Procurement, Quality Assurance, and Operations teams to drive innovation and successful product launches.
• Develop and manage project timelines and deliverables to ensure timely execution.
• Work with internal and external partners to troubleshoot technical challenges in formulation, processing, and packaging.
• Coordinate product scale-up, production trials, and quality requirements with internal and external manufacturing partners.

Skills

Project management

Analytical skills

Negotiation skills

Multi-project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Culinary Science, Food Technology, or related field

Tools

Smartsheet

Monday.com

Job description

Golden West Food Group, headquartered in Vernon, CA, seeks a Project Manager – New Product Development to lead product innovation from concept to launch. You will coordinate cross-functional teams, including R&D, QA, procurement, and manufacturing, to deliver new products that meet regulatory standards and business goals.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in food product development and strong project management and negotiation skills. Familiarity with co-packers and supplier networks is a plus.