Product Development & Sourcing Manager - Confectionery

Shameless Foods; United States; Remote; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental plan

Vision plan

401k Plan

10% Annual Bonus

Pet-friendly environment

Job summary

Shameless Snacks, part of eJam Inc., is hiring a Product Development & Sourcing Manager - Confectionery. You will lead development and production of better-for-you candy, collaborating with flavor houses, ingredient suppliers and contract manufacturers.

This role requires travel 20-30% and a strong background in gummy, chews, or sugar-free candy. Remote within the United States preferred, with regular visits to facilities and flavor houses for development trials and scale-up.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 5+ years in non-chocolate confectionery development, preferably gummies, chews or sugar-free candy.
• Deep knowledge of gelatin, pectin, starch systems and sugar alcohols.
• Experience formulating and manufacturing in better-for-you or functional foods.
• Hands-on experience with flavor development, sensory testing, and factory-scale production.
• Familiarity with FDA and international labeling and safety standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, formulation, and production of better-for-you candy (gummies, chews).
• Collaborate with flavor houses, suppliers, and contract manufacturers from concept to launch.
• Translate brand briefs into viable formulations meeting nutrition and sensory standards.
• Conduct factory visits, pilot trials, and first production runs for scale-up success.
• Manage vendor relationships ensuring quality, compliance, and cost efficiency.
• Partner with packaging, marketing, and compliance teams to prep products for launch.
• Stay informed on ingredient innovations and new confectionery technologies.

Skills

Flavor development

Vendor management

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory compliance

Sensory testing

Project leadership

Communication

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science

Tools

Gelatin knowledge

Pectin knowledge

Sugar alternatives

Job description

Type: Full Time

Location: Onsite in Santa Ana, CA

Salary: $110,000 - $140,000

At Shameless Snacks, we’re reinventing candy - creating delicious, better-for-you treats that satisfy cravings without compromise. We’re part of eJam Inc., a fast-growing consumer products incubator specializing in direct-to-consumer brands that are transforming everyday categories.

We’re looking for a Product Development & Sourcing Manager - Confectionery to lead the creation and production of our next generation of guilt-free candy. If you’ve developed gummy, chewy, or sugar-free candy products before - and you love the challenge of making them taste incredible while keeping them compliant and scalable - this is the role for you.

This position is remote and can be based anywhere in the United States. However, it requires regular travel to manufacturing facilities and flavor houses for development trials, scale-ups, and production validation.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the development, formulation, and production of better-for-you candy products (gummies, chews, etc.).

• Collaborate with flavor houses, ingredient suppliers, and contract manufacturers to bring products from concept to launch.

• Translate brand product briefs into commercially viable formulations that meet nutritional and sensory standards.

• Conduct factory visits, pilot trials, and first production runs to ensure formulation and scale-up success.

• Manage vendor relationships, ensuring quality, compliance, and cost efficiency.

• Partner with internal teams (packaging, marketing, compliance) to prepare each product for launch.

• Stay informed on ingredient innovations, flavor systems, and new technologies in confectionery.

• 5+ years of experience in non-chocolate confectionery development, ideally gummies, chews, or sugar-free candy.

• Proven experience formulating and manufacturing products in the better-for-you or functional food category.

• Deep technical knowledge of gelatin, pectin, starch systems, sugar alcohols, and alternative sweeteners.

• Hands-on experience managing flavor development, sensory testing, and factory-scale production.

• Familiarity with FDA and international food labeling and safety standards.

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related field (or equivalent experience).

• Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally (estimated 20-30% of time).

• Excellent communication, organization, and follow-through in high-growth environments.

• Health, Dental, Vision

• 401k Plan

• 10% Annual Bonus

• Amazing, pet-friendly office environment

• Be part of a fast-scaling, better-for-you brand redefining candy.

• High visibility and ownership - your creations become the next products our fans love.

• Opportunity to travel, work with world-class flavor houses, and lead new innovations.