Project Leader Research & Development

Simmons Pet Food Inc; Siloam Springs (AR); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Simmons Pet Food Inc is seeking a Project Leader in Research & Development to drive product and process development from concept to commercialization. You will lead cross-functional teams, manage pilot tests, and coordinate plant validations while ensuring quality and cost targets across multiple facilities.

The role requires in-depth knowledge of pet food formulation, data analysis, and strong communication with customers and suppliers. Travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Animal Nutrition, Animal Science, Meat Science, Engineering or related degree.
• 5+ years experience in product development and technical services in pet food is required.
• Strong data analysis and project leadership skills are essential.

Responsibilities

• Leads identification, recommendation and qualification of process/formulation development capabilities.
• Develops, bench tests, scales-up, and commercializes new processes/products.
• Schedules and supports plant tests during commissioning and validates processes.

Skills

Product development

Project management

Leadership

Process optimization

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Animal Nutrition, or related field

Tools

Concept 5

AutoCAD

JDE IQS

Microsoft Office

Job description

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following our Accessibility Accomodation for Applicants page.

Project Leader Research & Development

• Posted on September 21, 2026

Locations

Showing 1 location

• On-site
• Research and Development
• Full-Time
• Requisition #: PROJE048866

Description

Leads identification, recommendation and qualification of process/formulation development capabilities needed to meet project success criteria and deliver industry-leading innovation. Connects and integrates internal and external process/formulation capabilities to develop solutions, build product platforms,optimize existing processes/formulations and/or create new capabilities.

Essential Position Responsibilities - This is a Salary Exempt position.

Product/Process Champion. Fits new customers into our existing array of products or develops lineextensions or process/product improvements for existing customers. Meets with customers, independent of supervisor, and with sales account manager to define scope of new projects. Assists in the evaluation of target brand evaluation and monitoring efforts. Demonstrates leadership qualities with respect to process/product design capabilities with strong communication skills. Utilizes pilot scale equipment forhigh risk projects in order to minimize company liability. Works closely with customer or supplier technical representatives and may involve test coordination based on equipment availability. Maintainscompetence as a scientist by attending technical meetings to identify new opportunities with respect toprocesses/products.

Product/Process Development. Competent in the full length of the product development cycle and larger scale projects, including conceptual development, formulation, implementation, process validation and continuous management and improvement. Works closely with the technical staff of customers or suppliers, often mentoring junior and senior scientists. Develops, bench tests, scales-up, and commercializes new processes/products in accordance with guidelines established in the project brief; factors include process/product attributes as well as development costs, finished product costs, andtiming. Demonstrates process/product and project ownership to ensure that all parameters are optimized. Schedules and supports plant tests throughout the commissioning phase, with the ability to develop contingency plans as needed. Reviews process characteristics and/or product formulations acrossproducts and plants and identify opportunities to simplify the system and/or capitalize on cost savingsopportunities. Makes suggestions to the supervisor and, if applicable, senior operations managementregarding potential improvements. Reviews patents to ensure no infringement occurs.

Equipment Validation (relevant if/when area of focus is process-related). Participates in the calibration of new equipment with respect to metering for processing rate optimization purposes. Screensalternate suppliers of manufacturing and product evaluation equipment, summarizes strengths and weaknesses of each option and makes recommendations, accordingly. Qualifies new equipment byconducting Equipment Verification studies which include Installation Qualification (IQ), OperationalQualification (OQ) and long-term Performance Qualification (PQ) Protocols. Participates in onlineequipment validation, allowing early detection of process errors and product quality issues. Conducts pilot plant tests internally or at supplier facilities in order to verify new process/formulation capabilities.

Nutritional, Regulatory and Finished Product Compliance (relevant if/when area of focus is product-related). Utilizes existing product formulation approach to assure finished product nutritionaladequacy (label and nutrition claim), applying statistical data from key raw materials. Develops a label deck from a master formula which considers all potential processing locations. Submits products foranalytical or animal testing as required by supervisor and summarizes results. Participates as a memberof project teams that evaluate product non-conformance incidence with processes/products under their responsibility. Collects and analyzes information as required to analyze raw material/process interactions.

Process, Operations and Supply Chain Support. Leads supply chain initiatives including formula transfer among plants, evaluation of new suppliers of raw materials, increased or decreased use ofexisting raw materials and Project Manager, R&D evaluation of processing parameters. Assists inprocess/product evaluation testing as required by supervisor. Develops knowledge of critical process points in conjunction with the process engineering group. Summarizes results of previous tests andsequential processing conditions or runs for a particular formula to assist in troubleshooting and data interpretation.

Project and Portfolio Management. Manages the project portfolio in accordance with the supervisor's overall directive. Issues project updates and alerts supervisor of circumstances which may impact ability to deliver desired results. Issues project final reports, as requested.

Participates as a member of the Team . Participates in ongoing development, communication and implementation of team concepts, programs and policies; coordinates work to ensure B.E.S.T practices with all team members. Attends appropriate team meetings. As a member of the Team, fosters strongcohesiveness regarding all major issues; e.g., direction, annual plan, budget, policy changes, etc. Accepts responsibility to quickly identify any areas that lack cohesiveness, bringing them to the attentionof the team leader and working with the team in a supportive manner to resolve issues and actively lookfor ways, and reinforces actions needed, to achieve synergy possible within the larger organization. Project Leaders may have Research Technicians and/or interns that report directly to them to support the needs of the team.

Simmons Operating systems principles and objectives: Is familiar with Simmons’ established operating systems (e.g. quality, security, office environment, company policies); understands theresponsibility to maintain familiarity with the systems and this position’s role in support of these systems - including a consideration of the impact of individual actions on the systems and the responsibility tocommunicate concerns and improvement ideas.

Performs other duties as necessary in support of business objectives: This position description is intended to guide activities and is not intended to limit the thinking and creativity of the person to the workof this function nor is it intended that this describe all the work that may be required of the person in thisposition. Commitment to quality and continuous improvement in all aspects of the business is essential.

Physical Activities: Enters and locates information on a computer. Visually verifies information, often insmall print. Communicates with Customers, Vendors, or Employees via telephone, in person, and/or electronic mail. May present information to small or large groups. Must be able to work in various temperatures and move about in a manufacturing environment, kitchen environment, office environment,and surrounding property. Lifts heavy boxes, equipment or other required objects (up to 50 lbs) asneeded. Will use laboratory/kitchen/cooking equipment.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): As needed in required environment.

Travel: Travels domestically to and from multiple facilities or work-sites or customer visits, often requiring overnight stays. Approximately 25% travel.

Technical Experience: 5 years experience in product development and technical services is required,particularly in pet food. Experience requirements are commensurate with education. Knowledge of animal nutrition and food formulation and thermal process is highly desirable. Experience in commercial productand/or process development is required. Must have excellent computer skills with respect to the Microsoft Office Suite. Experience with Concept 5 and/or AutoCad is a plus. Will be expected to quickly learn the business integration software suites including JDE and IQS. Strong data entry skills are required.Intermediate to advanced level skills in Excel and PowerPoint as well as experience preparing documentsfor presentation.

Industry Experience: R&D knowledge/experience in food or pet food preferred. Experience in commercial product development and in the food and pet food industry is desirable. Knowledge of food science, animal nutrition and food formulation is a plus. A working knowledge of current food and pet food regulations in various countries is highly desirable. Should have a working knowledge of processmapping. Must have leadership qualities and flexibility with respect to job requirements. Knowledge of specific requirements in the United States is essential for successful job performance.

Minimum Education : Depending on assigned business unit(s), Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science,Animal Nutrition, Animal Science, Meat Science, Engineering or related degree. Required experience is balanced by education level.

We value military experience and welcome veterans to join our team.

#ZR1

Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.