R&D Special Projects Lead - Bakery Innovation & Scale-Up

Rise Baking Company; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 111,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Annual bonus

Incentive programs

401k contributions

Job summary

Rise Baking Company is seeking an experienced R&D/Manufacturing specialist to lead cross-functional bakery formulation development and scale-up from pilot to production. The role focuses on new capital equipment, process optimization, and innovative formulations across multiple plants with relocation assistance available.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in bakery development or manufacturing engineering, strong project management skills, and the ability to travel to plant locations as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in food science or a related technical field.
• 7+ years in bakery product development, process/manufacturing engineering, or related bakery roles.
• Experience scaling formulations from R&D to full production.
• Experience supporting capital equipment specs, installation, and startup.

Responsibilities

• Develop, test, and scale new and modified formulations from concept to production.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Operations to evaluate and commission new equipment.
• Translate bench-scale formulations into plant-ready processes.
• Lead cross-functional projects across R&D, Operations, and Manufacturing.
• Manage timelines, budgets, and status updates for leadership.
• Conduct plant trials and pilot runs; adjust processes as needed.
• Identify risks and opportunities; propose solutions for improvements.
• Travel to plant locations to support project execution and startups.

Skills

Bakery formulation

Scale-up processes

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Equipment startup support

Education

Bachelor's in Food Science

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Rise Baking Company is seeking an experienced R&D/Manufacturing specialist to lead cross-functional bakery formulation development and scale-up from pilot to production. The role focuses on new capital equipment, process optimization, and innovative formulations across multiple plants with relocation assistance available.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in bakery development or manufacturing engineering, strong project management skills, and the ability to travel to plant locations as needed.