Director Research Development Jobs in Beloit, WI

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier, and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

The Senior Business Development Manager Smoke & Grill will lead, develop, and grow the Kerry | RedArrow Smoke & Grill business across North America, with a strong focus on food and foodservice markets. This role combines hands-on business development with strategic leadership, partnering closely with Kerry's commercial, R&D, applications, and culinary teams to deliver differentiated solutions to customers across the food sector. The ideal candidate will be based in Beloit, WI. Beloit is home to Kerry's North American Corporate Headquarters, while Manitowoc, WI serves as the global headquarters for Kerry | RedArrow smoke, browning, and grill technologies. This role requires regular travel (50%+).

• Drive Business Growth: Deliver near-term budget commitments and a five-year growth plan for the Kerry | RedArrow Smoke & Grill business, measured by top-line revenue and gross margin performance.
• Develop Strategy & Business Plans: Partner with Taste, Food Protection, and commercial leadership to develop and execute business plans and strategies aligned to Kerry's food and foodservice priorities.
• Strategic Market Leadership: Leverage and expand Kerry | RedArrow's industry-leading smoke, browning, and grill technologies to grow sales across food manufacturers, foodservice chains, and direct-to-retail customers.
• Sales & Commercial Partnership: Build strong, senior-level customer relationships while collaborating closely with Kerry Sales Account Managers and cross-functional commercial teams to drive shared success.
• Identify New Growth Opportunities: Identify and develop new opportunity spaces within the food sector, including global growth opportunities with strategic customers, supported by robust commercial and R&D project pipelines.

• Bachelor's degree is required in Food/Nutrition Science, Chemistry, Microbiology, Biology, or a related field from an accredited institution.
• A minimum of 10+ years of commercial and/or technical experience is required within the food ingredients, food manufacturing, or related food industry. Strong technical understanding of food applications; experience with formula development, food manufacturing, process optimization, and food-preserving or protective ingredients is highly desired. Proven ability to establish trusted, long-term relationships with external customers, with a demonstrated track record of successfully developing and growing business.
• Culinary training and/or experience with culinary-influenced product development or sales is a plus.

The pay range for this position is $146,800-$261,000 in Annual Salary. Kerry typically does not hire an individual at the top or near the top of the range, as we are a pay-for-performance company, and this range is set to continue to reward performance annually while in role. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The specific compensation offered to a candidate within the above range may be influenced by a variety of factors including skills, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and location. In addition, this position is also eligible to earn a performance-based incentive compensation. Kerry offers a competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, Employee Share Plan, Life, disability, and accident insurance, and tuition reimbursement. This job posting is anticipated to expire on July 11, 2026.

We may use artificial intelligence tools to support the review and assessment of applications and assist with scheduling interviews. We do not use AI to make decisions during the interview process. All candidate assessments and hiring decisions are made by our recruitment and leadership teams.

Kerry is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. Kerry will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States for this opening. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a background investigation and drug screen. Additional information can be found at Know Your Rights Workplace Discrimination is Illegal (dol.gov).

Beware of scams online or from individuals claiming to represent us. A Kerry employee will not solicit candidates through a non-Kerry email address or phone number. In addition, Kerry does not currently utilize video chat rooms (e.g., Google Hangouts) to conduct interviews. Refuse any request that asks you to provide payment to participate in the hiring process (e.g., purchasing a "starter kit," investing in training, or something similar). Kerry will not ask you to pay any money at any point in the hiring process with the exception of reimbursable travel expenses. In addition, any payments made by Kerry will be from official firm accounts bearing the Kerry name.