Research And Development Manager

CHAGEE USA; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

CHAGEE USA is seeking a proactive R&D Manager to drive new beverage development from ideation to execution across our tea and coffee platforms. You will lead cross-functional teams and manage co-packers, regulatory considerations, and nutrition analyses to deliver scalable products for U.S. markets.

The role requires hands-on product development, strong project management, and the ability to anticipate risks and deliver high-quality, market-ready beverages.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or a related field.
• Experience in food and beverage R&D and product development.
• Experience with beverage development including tea and coffee.
• Experience taking products from concept through commercialization and scale‑up.
• Experience working with co-packers, contract manufacturers and ingredient suppliers.
• Strong understanding of formulation, processing, quality, shelf life, and commercialization.
• Experience with nutrition analysis/audits and labeling requirements.
• Strong project management and cross-functional communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end beverage development from concept through commercialization.
• Develop and optimize formulations focused on tea, flavor, texture, sweetness, and functionality.
• Translate brand and business needs into viable product concepts.
• Conduct sensory evaluation, stability testing and product optimization.
• Establish specifications, ingredients and quality requirements; ensure scalable production.
• Oversee co-packers and external partnerships; manage scale-up and commercialization with partners.
• Coordinate nutrition analyses, audits and labeling compliance; maintain documentation.
• Own R&D project timelines, milestones and cross-functional execution; communicate status to leadership.

Skills

Food Science

Beverage development

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem-solving

Attention to detail

Regulatory/nutrition knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science

Job description

CHAGEE (pronounced CHAH-jee) is a modern teahouse with more than 7,500 locations globally.

We are a global brand with proud roots in Yunnan, committed to bringing people together through tea. CHAGEE is awakening a modern tea movement, grounded in authentic heritage, fueled by cutting edge innovation, and crafted to nourish body and spirit.

Overview

Elevate your career with CHAGEE as an R&D Manager. Through our stores across China, Asia Pacific, and the United States, we serve a staggering 100 million cups of tea monthly. CHAGEE is excited to expand its presence in the US market. This is your chance to be part of an exhilarating journey as we deliver the taste of authentic tea culture to America.

The Modern Tea Movement starts with you.

At CHAGEE, we're connecting the world through modern tea — making friends, pouring tea, and building careers along the way. Join a team rooted in tradition, fueled by purpose, and scaling a global movement across North America.

CHAGEE USA is seeking a highly proactive, hands-on R&D Manager to work on new menu development and product innovation across our beverage platforms. This role will be responsible for taking concepts from initial ideation through formulation, testing, commercialization, and successful execution in our stores.

The ideal candidate combines strong food science and beverage development expertise with practical experience in tea and coffee, co-packer management, nutrition and regulatory requirements, and cross-functional project leadership.

We are looking for someone who does more than execute projects. You should be able to think ahead, anticipate problems before they occur, identify risks early, and develop practical solutions that keep projects moving.

Key Responsibilities

New Menu & Product Development

• Lead end-to-end development of new beverages, menu items, and product innovations from concept through commercialization.
• Develop and optimize beverage formulations with a strong focus on tea, flavor, texture, sweetness, functionality, and overall consumer experience.
• Translate consumer, brand, and business needs into commercially viable product concepts.
• Conduct bench trials, sensory evaluations, stability testing, and iterative product optimization.
• Establish product specifications, recipes, ingredient standards, and quality requirements.
• Ensure new products can be consistently executed at scale in the restaurant environment.
• Balance product quality, ingredient availability, operational complexity, cost, shelf life, and scalability.
• Stay current on beverage trends, emerging ingredients, processing technologies, and consumer preferences.
• Manage technical and R&D relationships with co-packers, manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and other external partners.
• Lead product scale-up and commercialization activities with co-packing partners.
• Communicate product specifications, processing requirements, quality standards, and testing expectations.
• Troubleshoot manufacturing, quality, formulation, and supply issues.
• Conduct or coordinate plant trials and first production runs.
• Proactively identify manufacturing risks and develop contingency plans.
• Build strong partnerships while maintaining high standards for product quality and consistency.

Nutrition, Regulatory & Product Compliance

• Coordinate nutrition analysis and nutrition audits for new and existing products.
• Review formulations and ingredient documentation to ensure accurate nutritional information.
• Partner with internal and external regulatory resources to support compliance with applicable U.S. food and beverage requirements.
• Maintain accurate product specifications, ingredient statements, allergen information, nutritional data, and supporting documentation.
• Identify potential compliance or labeling issues early and drive them to resolution.

Project Management & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Own R&D project timelines, milestones, deliverables, and commercialization readiness.
• Work cross-functionally with Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing, Training, Finance, and other stakeholders.
• Establish clear project plans, responsibilities, deadlines, and decision points.
• Drive alignment across teams with different priorities and ensure everyone understands requirements and timelines.
• Communicate project status, risks, dependencies, and recommendations clearly to leadership.
• Anticipate bottlenecks and proactively address issues before they impact launch timelines.
• Maintain a strong sense of urgency while ensuring products meet quality and brand standards.

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Beverage Science, or a related field.
• Strong professional experience in food and beverage R&D and product development.
• Demonstrated experience developing beverages, ideally including both tea and coffee.
• Experience taking products from concept through commercialization and scale-up.
• Experience working directly with co-packers, contract manufacturers, and ingredient suppliers.
• Strong understanding of food and beverage formulation, processing, quality, shelf life, and commercialization.
• Experience with nutrition analysis/audits and food labeling requirements.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent cross-functional communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to make practical, data-informed decisions.

The Right Mindset

• Practical and hands-on — comfortable getting into the details and solving problems directly.
• Forward-thinking — sees around corners and considers what could go wrong before it happens.
• Proactive — doesn't wait for problems to become emergencies.
• Solutions-oriented — brings recommendations and solutions, not just problems.
• Highly organized — able to manage multiple development projects and competing priorities.
• Commercially minded — understands that great R&D must also be scalable, cost-effective, operationally executable, and aligned with the business.
• Collaborative — able to build alignment across departments and influence without relying solely on authority.
• Detail-oriented — understands that small formulation, specification, or process details can have a significant impact on the final product.
• Accountable — takes ownership from concept through launch and follows projects through to completion.

Success in This Role

Success will be measured by the ability to consistently bring high-quality, commercially viable, and operationally executable products to market on time.

The R&D Manager will be expected to become a trusted partner to the broader organization—someone who can anticipate challenges, connect the dots across functions, and ensure that great product ideas become successful products in the market.

This is a hands-on role for an R&D professional who loves beverages, moves quickly, thinks ahead, and knows how to turn ideas into scalable products.

Join our team and be part of a brand that's as refreshing as our tea! We're excited to see how your talents will help us grow and create memorable experiences for our customers. Final compensation will be determined based on the selected candidate and may vary depending on factors including (but not limited to): relevant knowledge and experience, skills, education, certifications, overall qualifications, and your specific work location.

CHAGEE is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.