Scale-Up & Engineering Director, R&D & Manufacturing

Premier Nutrition: The Good Energy People; Emeryville (CA); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Gym on site

In-office massages

Dogs in the office

Excellent benefits

Job summary

Premier Nutrition in Emeryville, CA, is seeking an experienced R&D leader who provides strategic direction for scale-up, process and packaging engineering, and manufacturing support.

You will lead pilot plant operations, coordinate with co-manufacturers, oversee packaging improvements, and mentor a team of 5–10 technicians, reporting to the VP of Product Development. This hybrid role requires cross-functional collaboration and a strong track record in beverage processing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (food science, chemical engineering, or related).
• 12+ years in the food and beverage industry with scale-up experience.
• 5+ years of people leadership and experience commercializing products with co-manufacturing partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead scale-up, commercialization, pilot plant operations and manufacturing support.
• Drive cost optimization and operating efficiency across development to production.
• Build partnerships with co-manufacturers and external service providers to meet project goals.
• Provide technical leadership in processing, packaging engineering, and risk management.

Skills

Scale-up leadership

Pilot plant operations

Co-manufacturing partnerships

Packaging engineering oversight

Process engineering

Cross-functional leadership

Technical leadership

Troubleshooting

Team mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering

Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science

Tools

Co-manufacturing partners tools

Job description

Premier Nutrition in Emeryville, CA, is seeking an experienced R&D leader who provides strategic direction for scale-up, process and packaging engineering, and manufacturing support.

You will lead pilot plant operations, coordinate with co-manufacturers, oversee packaging improvements, and mentor a team of 5–10 technicians, reporting to the VP of Product Development. This hybrid role requires cross-functional collaboration and a strong track record in beverage processing.