Senior Manager R&D - Nature's Bakery

Mars; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 119,000 - 164,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mars University access

Company bonus

Industry-competitive pay and benefits

Job summary

Mars Accelerators’ Nature’s Bakery business unit seeks a Senior Manager R&D to lead product development and provide advanced technical leadership across the portfolio. You will guide three direct reports, manage resource allocation, and stay hands‑on on high‑impact innovation and renovation projects with strong autonomy.

Responsibilities include planning technical work, ensuring scale‑up and commercialization readiness, and partnering with R&D, manufacturing, quality, and regulatory teams to

Qualifications

• Lead product development activities with advanced technical leadership.
• Involved in formulation, prototyping, scale‑up, and commercialization readiness.
• Plan and execute technical work using data, risk assessment, and judgment.
• Collaborate with R&D, manufacturing, quality, and regulatory teams.

Responsibilities

• Set team priorities and direct product development activities.
• Plan, execute, and document technical work for projects.
• Lead investigations and develop best practices.
• Manage resource allocation and direct three direct reports.

Skills

Product development

Technical leadership

Data analysis

Experiment planning

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science/ Chemistry/ Biology/ Engineering/ Nutrition

Job description

Job Description:

Who Are We?

Accelerator is Mars Snacking's growth engine, focused on unlocking growth across high‑potential categories and brands. Within Accelerator sits Nature’s bakery alongside the Better For You portfolio includes KIND®, RXBAR®, Nutri‑Grain®, Special K Bars®, and Pure Organic®. Combining the scale of Mars with the agility of a growth business, we are driving innovation, accelerating performance, and transforming how we work through data, automation, and AI‑enabled solutions.

We're looking for passionate collaborators to help us become the foremost leader in Mars Snacking and positively impact society along the way. If you're looking to be a part of an inspiring, energetic and entrepreneurial environment, you've found the right place.

What You’ll Do

As the Senior Manager R&D for Nature's Bakery, you will lead product development activities while providing advanced technical leadership for product innovation, solving complex problems, and building functional capability across the portfolio. You will serve as the technical leader for a team of three direct reports, guiding their professional development and managing resource allocation, while remaining actively engaged on the benchtop leading and developing high‑impact innovation and renovation projects. This role operates with high autonomy and is accountable for technical delivery, prioritization, risk management, and associate development.

What will be your key responsibilities?

• Set team priorities, direct product development activities, allocate work, manage delivery trade-offs, and coach up to three direct reports.
• Plan and execute technical work to deliver product innovation, formulation, prototyping, product quality, scale‑up, and commercialization readiness against project objectives, timelines, quality, safety, and compliance expectations.
• Use data, experimentation, risk assessment, and technical judgment to make recommendations and resolve complex issues.
• Partner with cross‑functional teams including R&D, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, commercial, regulatory, and external partners.
• Document assumptions, specifications, methods, decisions, learnings, and handoffs in accordance with governance requirements.
• Lead complex investigations, establish best practices, influence technical strategy, develop talent, and ensure effective team performance.

What are we looking for?

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, Nutrition, or a related technical discipline.
• 10-12+ years of experience with recognized product‑development expertise, complex project leadership, and demonstrated people leadership.
• Deep expertise in product innovation, formulation, ingredient functionality, prototyping, product testing, scale‑up, quality systems, and commercialization readiness.
• Strong capability in technical strategy, experiment planning, data analysis, risk assessment, and technical documentation.
• Proven ability to lead complex programs, direct team execution, develop standards or best practices, and make risk‑based technical recommendations.
• Flexibility to travel to laboratories, pilot plants, manufacturing sites, suppliers, or consumer/market learning locations as needed.

What You Can Expect from Mars

• Work with diverse and talented Associates, all guided by the Five Principles.
• Join a purpose‑driven company where we’re striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• A strong focus on learning and development from day one, including access to our in‑house Mars University.
• An industry‑competitive salary and benefits package, including a company bonus.

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.

The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting:USD 119,040.00 - USD 163,680.00