Product Development Manager

Vaco Recruiter Services; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco Recruiter Services seeks a seasoned Food Product Developer to lead end-to-end development of meat, frozen, ready-to-eat, and shelf-stable foods. You will supervise teams and drive projects from concept to commercialization while ensuring compliance with USDA, FDA, FSMA, and related regulations.

You will mentor R&D professionals, coordinate plant trials, scale-up processes, and work closely with Operations, QA, Procurement, Supply Chain, Sales and Marketing to deliver high-quality, compliant

Qualifications

• 5-6+ years of progressive food product development and formulation experience in food manufacturing.
• 1-2+ years of leadership experience managing and developing Food Scientists, R&D teams.
• Expertise in development and commercialization of meat, frozen, ready-to-eat, shelf-stable or military ration foods.
• Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality, food chemistry, thermal processing, preservation, shelf-life, sensory evaluation.
• Hands-on experience from concept to pilot, scale-up, commercialization and post-launch support.
• Proven success managing multiple projects to timelines, quality, and budget.
• Working knowledge of USDA, FDA, FSMA, HACCP, GMP, and food safety regulations.
• Experience plant trials, process validation, troubleshooting formulation/production issues.
• Strong understanding of labeling, product specs, ingredient statements, and regulatory compliance.
• Ability to collaborate with Operations, QA, Procurement, Supply Chain, Sales & Marketing.
• Excellent leadership, communication, project management, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with formulation management systems, PLM tools, and Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Lead product development from concept through pilot, scale-up, and commercialization.
• Manage multiple development projects simultaneously, meeting timelines and budgets.
• Oversee plant trials, validations, and handling production-related issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams across Operations, Quality, Procurement, Supply Chain, Sales, and Marketing.

Job description

5-6+ years of progressive food product development and formulation experience within the food manufacturing industry.

1-2+ years of leadership experience managing, mentoring, and developing Food Scientists, R&D professionals, or technical product development teams.

Proven expertise in the development and commercialization of meat products, frozen foods, ready-to-eat meals, shelf-stable foods, and/or military ration products.

Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality, food chemistry, thermal processing, preservation methods, shelf-life extension, and sensory evaluation.

Hands-on experience leading product development from concept through pilot production, scale-up, commercialization, and post-launch support.

Demonstrated success managing multiple development projects simultaneously while meeting timelines, quality standards, and budget objectives.

Working knowledge of USDA, FDA, FSMA, HACCP, GMP, and food safety regulations within a manufacturing environment.

Experience conducting plant trials, process validations, and troubleshooting formulation and production-related issues.

Strong understanding of nutritional labeling, product specifications, ingredient statements, and regulatory compliance requirements.

Ability to collaborate effectively with Operations, Quality Assurance, Procurement, Supply Chain, Sales, and Marketing teams.

Excellent leadership, communication, project management, and problem-solving skills.

Proficiency with formulation management systems, product lifecycle management (PLM) tools, and Microsoft Office application