R&D Commercialization Director - Food & Beverage

Kinsa Group; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 185,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary $185k-$195k

401(k)

PTO & holiday pay

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Kinsa Group in Houston, TX is seeking an R&D Technical Commercialization Director to bridge product innovation with commercial execution, ensuring beverages move from bench to plant to customer on time, on spec, and at scale.

The role demands deep food science expertise and strong commercial communication to validate formulations under plant conditions and guide launch readiness for internal and customer stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 10+ years in food and beverage R&D, including 4+ years in commercialization or project management with multi-project leadership.
• Hands-on expertise in SSP processes, beverage formulation, scale-up, stability, and regulatory labeling.

Responsibilities

• Design and validate formulations for plant processes (hot-fill, pasteurization, low-acid aseptic, dry blend).
• Lead stage-gate process and manage 55+ active projects across Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain.
• Drive cost, quality, label, and process improvements while leading the R&D lab and supporting the 12–24 month innovation pipeline.

Skills

Food science

Food chemistry

Chemical engineering

Project management

Commercialization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science/ Food Chemistry/ Chemical Engineering

Job description

Kinsa Group in Houston, TX is seeking an R&D Technical Commercialization Director to bridge product innovation with commercial execution, ensuring beverages move from bench to plant to customer on time, on spec, and at scale.

The role demands deep food science expertise and strong commercial communication to validate formulations under plant conditions and guide launch readiness for internal and customer stakeholders.