Product Development Manager

Sugar Foods Corporation; Commerce (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 115,000; Full time

Job summary

Sugar Foods Corporation in Commerce, CA is seeking a Product Development Manager to lead product development from concept to commercialization. The role combines hands-on formulation work with strategic leadership across R&D projects and cross-functional teams.

As a senior contributor, you will mentor developers, optimize processes, and ensure quality, cost feasibility, and timely delivery of new products for our food manufacturing portfolio.

Qualifications

• BS in Food Science or related field required; MS desirable.
• 8–10 years in food product development or R&D in a food manufacturing environment.
• Minimum 5 years in a management or lead role.
• Experience leading projects from formulation to scale-up and commercialization.
• Strong expertise in product formulation, process optimization and quality improvement.
• Ability to balance hands-on development with leadership responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for product development across projects; supervise Project Levels 1–2, with ability to support Level 3 as needed.
• Guide development approaches and decision-making to ensure quality, cost, feasibility.
• Coach and mentor product developers to strengthen capability and accountability; stay hands-on as needed with formulation and trials.
• Ensure development decisions consider quality, cost, feasibility and long-term business impact; support continuous improvement within R&D.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Sales/Marketing, Operations, QA, Purchasing and Finance; leverage external resources to set priorities.
• BS in Food Science or related field required, or equivalent experience. MS in Food Science desirable.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Product formulation

Quality improvement

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Team mentorship

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

BS in Food Science

MS in Food Science desirable

Job description

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Product Development Manager

Commerce, CA, US

1 Attachments

Salary Range: $100,000.00 To $115,000.00 Annually

Position Summary

The Product Development Manager provides technical leadership and oversight for product development activities within R&D. This role combines hands-on product development expertise with leadership and coaching to drive high-quality, efficient and scalable development work while strengthening technical rigor, critical thinking and accountability across the team.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and direction for product development activities across assigned projects. Lead and supervise Project Levels 1–2, with the ability to support select/lead Level 3 projects as needed
• Guide development approaches and decision-making to ensure sound technical judgment and execution discipline. Review and challenge formulation, process and scale-up work to improve quality and reduce downstream risk
• Coach and mentor product developers to strengthen capability, accountability and

critical-thinking skills. Remain hands‑on as needed with formulation, trials, troubleshooting and commercialization support

• Ensure development decisions appropriately consider quality, cost, commercial feasibility and long‑term business impact. Support continuous improvement and capability building within the R&D function
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Sales/Marketing, Operations, QA, Purchasing and Finance while leveraging external resources to determine development priorities
• BS in Food Science or a related field required, or equivalent experience. MS in Food Science desirable.

Experience

• 8–10 years of progressive experience in food product development or R&D within a food manufacturing environment, including a minimum of 5 years in a management or lead role
• Demonstrated experience leading or supervising product development projects from formulation through scale‑up and commercialization
• Proven ability to manage multiple development projects simultaneously, providing timely technical direction and guidance across varying scopes and priorities
• Strong expertise in product formulation, process optimization, experimental design, and quality improvement. Experience evaluating technical tradeoffs related to quality, cost, manufacturing feasibility, and risk
• Prior experience providing technical guidance, mentoring, and leadership to product developers
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and critical‑thinking skills
• Ability to effectively balance hands‑on technical work with leadership and oversight responsibilities

Attachments (1)

Job Description - Product Development Manager 033026.pdf