R&D Manager

MAC Incorporated; Cerritos (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

MAC Incorporated seeks an experienced R&D Manager in Cerritos, CA, to lead product development, formulation work, and bench-to-launch projects. You will oversee the R&D Lab Supervisor and Formulators, directing proof-of-concept work, scale-up, and technical transfer while ensuring regulatory and quality compliance.

You will collaborate with Sales, QA, Operations, Procurement, and Regulatory to align strategy, deliverables, and timelines, and you’ll engage with client accounts as the primary R&D

Qualifications

• BS in Food Science, Chemistry, or a related field.
• 5+ years product development or formulation.
• 2+ years supervising or leading staff.
• Experience with soft chew, bar, dragée, pan-coated products.
• Familiarity with 21 CFR Parts 101 and 111, cGMP, HACCP, SQF.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day R&D project execution and strategy.
• Supervise Lab Supervisor and Formulators; manage workload.
• Coordinate cross-functional meetings with Sales, QA, Ops.
• Oversee stability programs, bench and pilot studies.
• Ensure GLP, GMP, and safety compliance in lab.

Skills

Formulation expertise

Leadership

Client-facing

Bilingual Spanish (preferred)

Education

BS in Food Science/ Chemistry/ related

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

NetSuite

Claude AI

Job description

R&D Manager Cerritos, California Job Ref: 41570

Job Summary

The R&D Manager leads the day‑to‑day execution of company's product development and formulation work, translating the R&D strategy and priorities set by the Director/VP of R&D into delivered projects. This role manages the R&D Lab Supervisor and R&D Formulators, assigning and sequencing project work, providing hands‑on technical direction from proof‑of‑concept through commercial launch and post‑launch support, and ensuring each program moves through bench development, scale‑up, and technical transfer on schedule and to specification. The R&D Manager is the operational owner of the lab: project execution, technical documentation, trial and stability program delivery, and day‑to‑day compliance with lab standards. This role represents R&D in cross‑functional project meetings with Sales, QA, Operations, Procurement, and Regulatory, and serves as the day‑to‑day R&D technical contact for assigned client accounts — supporting feasibility assessments, sample presentations, and technical issue resolution alongside Sales. Strategic decisions, resource conflicts, budget variances, commercial terms, and high‑risk technical issues are aligned with the Director/VP of R&D.

Key Responsibilities (including but not limited to)

Project Execution & Product Development

• Plan, sequence, and deliver assigned R&D projects — new product development, process optimization, cost reduction, and raw material assessment — against the priorities and resource allocations established by the Director/VP of R&D.
• Lead proof‑of‑concept and early‑stage development work, including ideation support, bench validation, design‑of‑experiment (DOE) studies, and prototype evaluation across soft chew, bar, dragée, and pan‑coated platforms.
• Provide hands‑on technical direction to formulators on formula development, ingredient functionality, and troubleshooting; conduct bench work directly on complex or time‑sensitive programs.
• Execute technical transfer for assigned projects to the standards and governance model defined by the Director/VP: formula robustness assessments, scale‑up readiness reviews, pilot trial execution and oversight, and issuance of complete, accurate technical transfer packages to Operations.
• Work closely with PMO to track project status, timelines, resources and deliverables; identify slippage early and elevate timeline or handoff risks to the Director/VP of R&D with a recommended recovery plan.

Team Supervision & Development

• Supervise the R&D Lab Supervisor and R&D Formulators on a day‑to‑day basis: assign and balance workload, set task‑level expectations, and remove obstacles to project progress.
• Train, coach, and mentor formulators and lab staff on formulation technique, documentation practice, lab procedure, and technical problem solving.
• Provide ongoing performance feedback and contribute documented input and recommendations to the Director/VP of R&D for formal performance reviews, development plans, and staffing decisions.
• Onboard new R&D team members and ensure they are trained and qualified on applicable procedures, equipment, and safety requirements before independent work.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Represent R&D in project‑level commercialization meetings with Sales, QA, Regulatory, Procurement, and Operations; report project status, surface technical constraints, and commit to R&D project deliverables within the scope.
• Contribute concepts, prototypes, and ingredient findings into the innovation pipeline and stagegate process, including competitive benchmarking and ingredient evaluation work as assigned.

Client Interaction

• Serve as the day‑to‑day R&D technical contact for assigned client projects, partnering with Sales to keep clients informed on development progress, trial results, and timelines.
• Participate in client meetings, plant visits, and video conferences as the R&D technical voice on assigned programs; present formulation approaches, prototype results, and sensory findings, and answer client technical questions directly.
• Conduct product feasibility assessments in response to client briefs and inquiries — evaluating formulation viability, ingredient availability, platform fit, and manufacturability — and communicate findings and constraints to Sales and the client.
• Lead client‑facing bench and pilot sample presentations, including cuttings and tasting sessions; capture client feedback, translate it into specific formulation revisions, and manage the iteration cycle to client sign‑off.
• Respond to client technical requests and documentation needs on assigned accounts in coordination with QA and Regulatory, including specification questions, ingredient and label inquiries, and formulation‑related follow‑ups.
• Investigate and resolve client technical issues and complaints on assigned products; lead root cause analysis, communicate findings and corrective actions to the client alongside Sales and QA, and elevate unresolved or high‑risk issues to the Director/VP of R&D.
• Provide technical input into new business inquiries and client proposals.

Lab Operations & Compliance

• Enforce the department's GLP, GMP, safety, and documentation standards within the lab; hold the Lab Supervisor accountable for daily audit readiness, equipment calibration and maintenance execution, raw material inventory control, and SOP adherence.
• Draft, revise, and maintain R&D SOPs, work instructions, batch records, and specifications for review and approval by the Director of R&D.
• Ensure all lab activities, formulations, and technical transfers comply with 21 CFR Parts 101 and 111, cGMP, HACCP, SQF, and applicable third‑party certification requirements (NSF, USP, Informed Sport); prepare R&D records and respond to auditor requests during internal and external audits.
• Identify lab equipment, supply, and infrastructure needs; document and submit justified requests to the Director of R&D for budget and capital consideration, and operate within the approved R&D budget, flagging variances promptly.

Technical Programs

• Execute and manage the stability and shelf‑life program for assigned products: protocol execution, sample management, pull schedules, data integrity, and drafting of validation reports in collaboration with QA.
• Develop and document overage strategies for assigned formulations and submit them for Director and QA review to confirm scientific soundness and customer compliance.
• Conduct sensory and organoleptic evaluation on bench studies, pilot batches, and finished goods using the panel design and statistical methods established by the department; apply sensory findings to formulation adjustments.
• Serve as the first‑line technical resource for formulation, process, and equipment issues on assigned projects; lead root‑cause analysis and corrective action, document findings in the department knowledge base, and elevate unresolved or high‑risk issues to the Director of R&D.
• Apply the department's digital tools, AI platforms (e.g., Claude), and lab automation technologies in daily workflows; train the team on approved tools and recommend improvements to data capture, reporting, and cycle time.

Reporting

• Compile and report R&D project and lab metrics — benchtop throughput, transfer success rates, project on‑time delivery, lab capacity utilization — against the KPIs defined by the Director/VP of R&D, and execute corrective actions assigned in response to performance gaps.

Food Safety Responsibilities

• Every employee is responsible for food safety.
• Ensure all projects comply with SQF, GMP, HACCP, and pre‑requisite programs.
• Embed food safety risk assessments into the project risk register and proactively communicate emerging risks.
• Incorporate Food Defense and personnel hygiene considerations into facility‑impacting project plans.
• Report food safety concerns immediately to the SQF Practitioner, Quality Manager, or Plant Management.
• Ensure R&D team members complete required GMP and HACCP training, maintain food safety compliance in all lab activities, and support the Director of R&D and the SQF Practitioner in investigating and closing R&D‑originated food safety events, CAPAs, and audit findings.

Qualifications

Education and Certifications

• BS degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related field required.
• Master’s degree in food science, Chemistry, or a related discipline preferred.
• SQF Practitioner certification or food safety certification (PCQI, HACCP) preferred.
• Formal supervisory or project management training a plus.

Experience

• 5+ years of product development or formulation experience in food, dietary supplement, or nutraceutical manufacturing.
• 2+ years of experience supervising or leading technical staff.
• Hands‑on formulation experience across confection or supplement delivery formats (soft chew, bar, dragée, pan‑coated) strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of 21 CFR Parts 101 and 111, cGMP, HACCP, and SQF; experience supporting NSF, USP, or Informed Sport certification requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent projects and deliver on schedule in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience in a client‑facing or customer‑facing technical role, including presenting samples and development results and resolving product technical issues.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including technical documentation and cross functional collaboration.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Advanced benchtop and formulation expertise across soft chew, bar, dragee, and pan‑coated product platforms with demonstrated mastery of process‑formula interaction at scale, applied to oversee and coach a multi‑team lab organization.
• Advanced instrumentation and lab testing acumen: applied expertise in water activity (Aw), pH chemistry, texture science, rheology, emulsion science, and complex multi‑component ingredient interaction behavior.
• Advanced proficiency in stability study design, accelerated shelf‑life modeling, and degradation kinetics; independent authorship of stability protocols and validation reports required.
• Deep knowledge of food safety and regulatory frameworks: 21 CFR Parts 101 and 111, cGMP, HACCP, SQF, and applicable third‑party certification requirements (NSF, USP, Informed Sport, etc.).
• Strong documentation discipline and best practices across the full PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) process; capable of independently managing all formulation records with high accuracy.
• Advanced sensory evaluation competency includes experimental design, panel management, and statistical interpretation of results.
• Proficient data analysis skills: ability to build analytical models, apply descriptive and inferential statistics, and generate clear reports and visualizations for stakeholder decision‑making.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint); experience with ERP/MRP systems (e.g., NetSuite), SkuSafe, survey platforms, and Monday.com required. Active and effective use of AI tools (e.g., Claude) to accelerate R&D work.
• Demonstrated financial and business acumen: experience building and managing departmental budgets, forecasting headcount and capital needs, and evaluating ROI on lab investment and staffing decisions.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills. Bilingual in Spanish preferred.

FOUNDATIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Adaptability: Adapt to changes in workload, procedures, and or technological advancements. Cope and navigate through uncertainty and setbacks. Demonstrate flexibility, leadership, and embrace new ideas to effectively lead and support teams through various challenges and transitions.
• Resourcefulness: Utilize available resources, both tangible and intangible, to solve problems, achieve goals, and maximize team performance. Demonstrate creative initiative and strategic thinking in identifying and leveraging opportunities, and overcoming obstacles, and optimizing efficiency.
• Customer Focus: Meet quality standards to benefit end‑customers. Understand and align operations to support customer‑facing teams. Enhance operational efficiency which directly impact customer experience.
• Teamwork: Inspire, guide, and empower team members to ensure the team is operating efficiently, everyone's strengths are leveraged effectively, tasks are delegated appropriately, and collective goals are achieved.
• Accountability: Take ownership of their actions, decisions, and responsibilities. Use knowledge for action to push forward, keep promises, and deliver results. Take ownership and responsibility for their actions, decisions, and outcomes within their team and organization.
• Communication: Speak, write, and listen clearly, concisely and consistently. Demonstrate active listening by paying attention when others speak, show genuine interest, ask clarifying questions, and acknowledge their viewpoints. Provide and receive feedback openly. Effectively exchange information, ideas, and feedback to inspire, motivate, and align team members towards shared goals. Adapt messaging to different audiences and contexts. Leverage verbal, written, and nonverbal communication to ensure messages are understood and interpreted accurately by all stakeholders.
• Initiative: Ability to proactively assess situations, address errors/issues, and demonstrate decisiveness by taking and leading next steps for the betterment of the team and organization. Demonstrate the confidence and courage to offer and take action on solutions when addressing uncertainty, complexities, and or misalignment.
• Attention to Detail: Applies rigorous accuracy to all formulation work, documentation, and data analysis regardless of complexity or volume. Error‑proofing is embedded in daily practice.
• Passionate about formulation science; brings intellectual curiosity, creativity, and scientific rigor to all aspects of product development and company culture.
• Risk Tolerance: Comfortable operating with ambiguity and making data‑informed decisions under uncertainty. Apply structured risk frameworks to guide formulation and project tradeoffs.
• Decisive and results‑oriented; demonstrates strong ownership for project outcomes and proactively escalates obstacles with proposed solutions.
• Self‑motivated and organized; independently manages complex, concurrent project portfolios with multiple stakeholders and shifting priorities.
• Innovation Mindset: Actively seeks new scientific approaches, novel ingredients, and emerging technologies to improve formulation performance and create competitive differentiation for FoodPharma.
• People Leadership: Effectively manage a team by building and maintaining strong working relationships among team members, coaching and developing team members to foster a sense of ownership and self‑motivation. Identify employee skills gaps and address them through feedback, and training to develop or enhance necessary skills to support productivity. Mediate interpersonal conflicts between team members. Act decisively, quickly and fairly when managing underperforming, disruptive employees. Recognize and respond to embrace individual and group differences. Demonstrate genuine interest in others and sensitivity to employees' needs.
• Strategic Mindset: Think beyond the immediate and considering long‑term implications while executing strategic initiatives. Convey the organization’s strategy to capture a collective understanding and align the team to support the common goal(s). Anticipate challenges and opportunities to proactively plan and adapt.
• System Thinking and decision making: Focus on the needs of the entire organization or division. Demonstrate intuition and analytical thinking to make timely objective decisions for the betterment of the organization. Take calculated risks to create and seize opportunities.

TRAVEL

• Travel: 10-15%

REPORTING STRUCTURE

• Reports to: VP or Director of R&D