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Position Summary

The Director of R&D is responsible for driving product optimization, new precooked egg product development, and cross-functional collaboration across plant operations and quality assurance. This role sits at the intersection of food science, manufacturing, and commercial strategy, translating customer requirements and market opportunities into scalable, plant-ready formulations while ensuring rigorous quality documentation and regulatory compliance. The director drives the development of new products, optimization of existing offerings, and advancement of technical capabilities to support business growth.

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Key Responsibilities

1. R&D Strategy & Leadership

Develop and implement R&D strategies, processes, and tools aligned with company objectives.

Lead and manage the R&D function, fostering a high-performing and accountable team.

Ensure R&D activities support innovation, product quality, and competitive positioning.

2. Product Development & Optimization

Oversee the development of new products from concept through commercialization, specifically focusing on precooked and further-processed egg products.

Partner with Sales team in discussions with customers' R&D teams to maintain a healthy pipeline of new product initiatives.

Source and evaluate new ingredients, functional additives, and processing aids; manage vendor qualification in partnership with Procurement.

Lead continuous improvement initiatives for existing liquid, dried egg, and precooked product lines to improve consistency and reduce costs.

Design and execute bench-scale and pilot plant trials, documenting findings and making go/no-go recommendations.

Manage sensory evaluation programs and shelf-life studies in coordination with QA.

3. Plant Capabilities & Operations Interface

Serve as the primary R&D liaison to plant operations across all production facilities.

Assess current equipment capabilities and identify gaps limiting new product launches or optimization targets.

Partner with plant managers on process validation, line trials, and scale-up activities.

Travel to plant locations to oversee trials, train production staff, and troubleshoot formulation issues.

4. Portfolio & Resource Management

Manage a portfolio of projects, balancing business priorities, timelines, and resource constraints by utilizing a Stage Gate process.

Establish clear priorities and sequencing of work, making tradeoff decisions to focus on high-value initiatives.

Allocate resources effectively and manage R&D budgets to ensure cost-effective execution.

5. Quality, Regulatory & Documentation

Author and maintain product specifications, formulation records, batch records, and HACCP/food safety documentation.

Support preparation of customer-facing quality documentation including certifications, allergen statements, and nutritional data.

Ensure all products meet applicable federal and state regulatory requirements (USDA, FDA, CFIA).

Collaborate with Document Control Specialist to build and maintain an internal formulation library with clear versioning and change control.

Participate in internal and third-party audits, leading corrective actions for R&D-related findings.

Maintain laboratory records in compliance with GMP and internal document control standards

6. Other duties as assigned

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Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering, or a related discipline.

Experience: 5+ years of R&D or product development experience in a food manufacturing or consumer packaged goods environment.

Technical Skills: Proven experience formulating egg-based or protein-based culinary products and working directly in production plant environments. Precooked egg or ready-to-eat food application experience preferred.

Regulatory Knowledge: Strong understanding of USDA, FDA, HACCP, GMPs, and food safety management systems.

Leadership: Demonstrated leadership, analytical, and communication skills. Be an excellent listener to translate customer needs into new products that meet defined operational targets.

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Working Conditions

Combination of office, laboratory, and production plant environments.

Travel required to plant locations, estimated at 15-20% depending on project activity.

Ability to stand for extended periods during plant trials and use appropriate PPE.

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Universal Expectations

Follows all Safety, Bio-Security, Environmental, and Animal Welfare Procedures

Ensures compliance with and follows all OSHA and REI safety regulations and procedures

Ensures that all care is provided with respect to customer, client and co-workers' rights

Ensures a safe and clean work environment

Maintains confidentiality

Adheres to work schedules in completing and performing assigned tasks

Takes appropriate action to ensure the integrity and sustained certification of the SQF system.

Responsible for reporting and taking any necessary action to prevent food safety and food quality problems from occurring.

Responsible for following and enforcing procedures outlined in the Food Safety Plan and the Food Quality Plan and any other programs that support the SQF system and other 3rd party audits

Performs other tasks as assigned