R&D Bread Specialist

Les Jours International Corp.; Commerce (CA); On-site; USD 43,000 - 51,000; Full time

Job summary

Les Jours International Corp. in Commerce, CA is seeking a R&D Bread Specialist to drive new bakery products from concept through launch. You will work across cross-functional teams to develop sweet bread and donut offerings while managing quality and cost targets.

Responsibilities include prototype development, ingredient evaluations, pilot testing, and collaboration with Marketing, Supply Chain, and Production to ensure successful commercialization. Travel within the United States is required.

Qualifications

• Degree or formal training in Baking and Pastry Arts, Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related field.
• Professional bakery product development, manufacturing, or quality management experience.
• Knowledge of ingredients and manufacturing processes for bread, frozen dough, and RTB products.
• Willingness to travel within the United States.
• Strong cross-functional communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop new bakery products and applications across sweet bread and donuts.
• Evaluate the quality, process feasibility, and test results for new and existing products.
• Support commercialization including pilot testing and store launches.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain, and Procurement to support launches and cost targets.
• Create and maintain product formulations, manufacturing procedures, specifications, and quality records.

Skills

Bakery product development

Quality management

Cross-functional communication

US travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Baking/related

Job description

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

R&D Bread Specialist

Full Time G3 Commerce, CA, US

2 days ago Requisition ID: 1118

Salary Range: $31.25 To $37.50 Hourly

JOB TITLE:

R&D Bread Specialist

REPORTS TO:

R&D Senior Manager

Job Type

DEPARTMENT:

R&D

LOCATION:

Commerce, CA 90040

SUMMARY

The Bread R&D Specialist is responsible for developing new bakery products, improving existing products, managing product quality, and supporting commercialization. This role is involved throughout the entire product development lifecycle, from concept development and testing to production implementation, launch, and post-launch quality management.

Working closely with cross-functional teams, the Bread R&D Specialist helps ensure product quality and consistency while developing products that align with brand strategy, operational capabilities, and cost targets.

JOB DUTIES include but are not limited to the following:

New Product and Application Development

• Develop new products, primarily in the sweet bread and donut categories, across imported frozen dough, Georgia plant-manufactured products, RTB products, and locally sourced OEM products.
• Develop new applications and product variations using existing dough platforms.
• Prepare product prototypes and conduct formulation, process, sensory, and quality evaluations.
• Research market trends and competitor products and propose new product concepts.

Product and Ingredient Quality Management

• Evaluate the quality, consistency, and production feasibility of new and existing products.
• Use analytical equipment to evaluate the characteristics of flour, dough, and finished products and interpret test results.
• Identify quality variations and defects in imported frozen dough and finished products and support corrective actions.
• Lead quality improvement, product renewal, and specification optimisation projects for existing products.
• Evaluate alternative ingredients when ingredient changes or supply issues occur and conduct testing to improve formulation, mixing, proofing, baking, and frozen-storage stability.

Commercialization and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Support pilot testing, production implementation, store launches, and post-launch improvements.
• Review ingredient and manufacturing costs and optimise formulations and product specifications to meet target costs.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Supply Chain, and Procurement to support product launches, ingredient sourcing, supplier management, and the communication of product information.
• Provide technical support related to product quality and manufacturing processes at the Georgia plant and store locations.

Documentation and Training

• Create and maintain product formulations, manufacturing procedures, product specifications, test records, store manuals, training materials, and quality evaluation standards.
• Document product testing and quality evaluation results and communicate findings to relevant departments.
• Support training for Production, Quality Control, and store teams on new product preparation procedures and quality standards.
• Ensure compliance with applicable food safety, allergen, and internal documentation requirements throughout the product development process.

Qualifications

• Degree or formal training in Baking and Pastry Arts, Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related field.
• Professional experience in bakery product development, manufacturing, or quality management.
• Knowledge of ingredients and manufacturing processes for bread, frozen dough, and RTB products.
• Ability to prepare prototypes, conduct formulation and process testing, analyse results, and maintain organised technical documentation.
• Strong cross-functional communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to travel within the United States as required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing sweet breads, buns, donuts, frozen dough, or commercially produced bakery products.
• Experience using flour and dough analysis equipment.
• Experience with OEM product development or external supplier quality management.
• Basic knowledge of U.S. food safety, allergen, and labelling requirements.
• Professional working proficiency in both Korean and English.

Success Profile

The ideal candidate combines strong product development expertise with practical execution skills and can

transform product ideas intocommercially viable bakery products. This individual considers taste andproduct quality alongside cost, manufacturing efficiency, store-levelexecution, and consistency. The successful candidate will work effectivelyacross multiple functions and take ownership of projects from initialdevelopment through launch and post-launch improvement.

About the Company

CJ has been leading the food industry in Korea, and it is now turning to the global market with efforts to bring to the world the taste and culture of Korean food. CJ Foodville was established in the US in 2004 and has a national bakery brand called Tous Les Jours.