Director Food Research Development Jobs in Wisconsin

Description

Why join the GoMacro team?

We're a company that is driven by a unique core ideology we call The GoMacro Way, which is based upon authenticity, generosity, and compassion for people and the planet. We operate with integrity, we create with passion, and we conduct ourselves with humility. We seek growth-minded people who are inspired by challenges, encouraged by camaraderie, and excited about being leaders at every level. Become part of a team where everyone is heard, valued, and empowered to influence positive change in their local and global community.

How GoMacro's history shapes who we are today

During her 2003 battle with cancer, co-founder Amelia Kirchoff created the first MacroBar recipe in her kitchen on the Wisconsin family farm. In the years following, Amelia and her daughter and co-founder Jola began spreading awareness for the power of a balanced, plant-based lifestyle through GoMacro's healthy and delicious MacroBars, which are now available in stores nationwide.

Today, our work is still guided by the values upon which Jola and Amelia built GoMacro: Live Long, Eat Positive, Give Back, Tread Lightly, and Be Well. It's our goal to inspire people to have a healthy body, sharp mind, and bold spirit-and we believe doing fun, and meaningful work is part of that.

Join us as we make the world better, one bite at a time!

Position Description:

At GoMacro, Research & Development is a critical driver of innovation, technical excellence, and long-term business growth. As the Research & Development Manager, you will lead the R&D function and team, providing technical and people leadership across new product development, commercialization, product lifecycle management, and continuous improvement. This role is responsible for building the people, processes, and operating systems that enable the R&D organization to scale while delivering products that consistently meet GoMacro's quality, cost, manufacturability, and brand promise expectations.

Working closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Marketing, Innovation, FSQA, Procurement, Project Management, and Commercialization teams, you will translate business and consumer needs into scalable technical solutions. You will proactively identify technical and commercialization risks, develop practical mitigation strategies, and help drive informed decisions that keep projects moving forward.

As a people leader, you will develop a collaborative, solution-oriented R&D team that embraces ownership, curiosity, and continuous improvement. You will establish priorities, technical standards, and scalable processes that strengthen organizational capability while positioning R&D as a trusted business partner that accelerates innovation, reduces risk, and supports sustainable business growth.

Primary Responsibilities:

Lead the R&D Organization

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of Food Scientists and R&D Technicians.
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, curiosity, accountability, and continuous improvement. 
• Establish team priorities and allocate resources to support business objectives.
• Develop team capabilities that strengthen GoMacro's technical expertise and support future growth. 

Drive Product Development & Technical Excellence

• Lead the technical development and continuous improvement of products from concept through technical readiness for commercialization. 
• Own product formulation, ingredient functionality, process development, packaging technical requirements, product specifications, and technical documentation.
• Ensure products consistently meet consumer expectations while achieving quality, cost, technical feasibility, manufacturability, and brand promise objectives. 
• Partner with the Commercialization & External Manufacturing Manager to ensure complete technical readiness and effective knowledge transfer for successful commercialization.
• Provide technical leadership throughout the product lifecycle, driving continuous product, process, and packaging improvements. 

Build the R&D Operating System

• Develop and continuously improve the processes, standards, and operating systems that enable R&D to scale with the business. 
• Establish best practices for technical documentation, specifications, formulations, process instructions, and knowledge management. 
• Standardize project execution, governance, and decision-making processes to improve efficiency and consistency.
• Build systems that improve collaboration, visibility, and accountability across cross-functional teams. 
• Drive continuous improvement within the R&D function to increase organizational effectiveness and execution. 

Partner Across the Business

• Build trusted partnerships across Manufacturing, Engineering, Marketing, Innovation, FSQA, Procurement, Commercialization, Project Management, and other cross-functional teams. 
• Translate business and consumer needs into scalable technical solutions. 
• Influence decisions by providing clear technical recommendations, balancing business objectives with technical considerations.
• Proactively identify technical risks, communicate them early, and develop practical mitigation strategies that enable informed decisions and keep projects moving. 
• Support successful commercialization through effective technical partnership and knowledge transfer while collaborating closely with the Commercialization & External Manufacturing Manager throughout scale-up and launch. 

Advance Technical & Business Performance

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen product quality, ingredient performance, manufacturability, and consumer experience. 
• Monitor product performance through its lifecycle and identify opportunities to improve quality, cost, consistency, and technical capability. 
• Lead technical investigations related to formulation, ingredients, processing, and product performance, providing practical recommendations and solutions. 
• Stay informed of emerging ingredients, technologies, consumer trends, and industry best practices to strengthen GoMacro's innovation pipeline and technical capabilities. 
• Measure and improve R&D performance through technical excellence, efficient project execution, organization capability, and strong cross-functional partnerships. 

Requirements

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Product Development, Engineering, or a related field. 
• 7+ years of experience in food product development, research & development, commercialization support, or technical operations within the food manufacturing industry. 
• 3+ year of people leadership experience with demonstrated success coaching, developing, and building high-performing technical teams. 
• Experience leading cross-functional product development initiatives from concept through technical readiness for commercialization. 
• Experience developing products for commercial food manufacturing with a strong understanding of formulation, ingredient functionality, process development, and manufacturing operations. 
• Experience establishing or improving technical processes, standards, documentation, and ways of working with an R&D organization is preferred. 

Technical Expertise:

• Strong knowledge of food science, ingredient functionality, formulation, processing, and manufacturing principles. 
• Demonstrated ability to translate consumer and business needs into commercially viable technical solutions. 
• Experience balancing product quality, cost, manufacturability, and brand expectations throughout product development. 
• Strong understanding of product lifecycle management, continuous improvement, and technical problem-solving. 
• Experience developing technical documentation, specifications, manufacturing instructions, and validation protocols. 
• Knowledge of food safety, quality systems, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices. 

Leadership Competencies:

• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships and influence cross-functional teams without direct authority. 
• Proven ability to identify risks early, evaluate options, and provide practical recommendations that enable informed business decisions. 
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance technical excellence with speed, cost, scalability, and organizational priorities.
• Excellent project leadership, prioritization, and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Effective communicator who can translate complex technical concepts into clear business recommendations. 
• Passion for developing people and creating an inclusive, accountable, and high-performing team culture. 
• Growth mindset with a bias toward continuous improvement, learning, and organizational development.
• Demonstrated ownership, accountability, and sound decision-making in a fast-paced environment. 
• Collaborative and solution-oriented leader who approaches challenges with curiosity, proactively identifies risks, and works across functions to develop practical solutions that move the business forward rather than simply identifying problems. 

Travel Requirements:

• This role requires the ability to travel up to 50%, including visits to manufacturing facilities, external manufacturing partners, suppliers, and industry events to support product development, technical collaboration, and commercialization readiness. 
• Preference for local candidates, but not required.

Salary & Benefits: 

The anticipated base salary range for this role is $125,000 - $140,000. This range reflects our good faith estimate of what we expect to pay at the time of posting. Final compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, and internal equity. This role may also be eligible for additional compensation, such as a discretionary annual company performance bonus of 7-10%.

GoMacro offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, retirement, paid time off, and wellness-focused benefits. For more details, please view our careers page: www.gomacro.com/careers.

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