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Role: Manufacturing Product Lead/Specialist(Head of Product Quality & Development Manufacturing)Reports to: Chief Product OfficerLocation: On-site, warehouse floor (daily presence required)About This Job:As the Product Development Specialist (or Lead), you spearhead innovation and improvement in our food product offerings. You lead projects from concept to launch, ensuring alignment with market trends, consumer preferences, and company objectives. This role is pivotal in driving growth and maintaining our competitive edge in the food manufacturing industry.Job Duties and Responsibilities:Leads the development and commercialization of new and improved food products.Manages R&D projects, ensuring they are completed on time, within budget, and meet quality standards.Applies food science principles to optimize product formulation, sensory evaluation, and process optimization.Collaborates with cross-functional teams, including marketing, sales, and operations, to ensure successful product launches.Analyzes market trends and consumer insights to identify new product opportunities.Drives continuous improvement in product development processes and methodologies.Makes key decisions regarding product formulation, process optimization, and sensory attributes.Required Qualifications:Education:Bachelor?s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, and/or in lieu of degree, equivalent job experience will be considered.Experience:Minimum of 5 years of experience in product development within the food manufacturing industry or restaurant industry.Proven track record of successfully launching new food products.Knowledge/Skills:Must have Dehydration experienceIn-depth knowledge of food science and R&D principles and food manufacturingStrong understanding of food safety regulations and regulatory complianceProficiency in formulation, sensory evaluation, and process optimization.Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.Preferred Qualifications:Experience with jerky, meat snacks or dehydrated meat.Physical Requirements/Work Conditions:Ability to work in a laboratory and manufacturing environment.Ability to lift up to 50 pounds.Ability to stand for extended periods.Occasional travel may be required.What You?ll Own:Product Quality & CraftDefine and continuously refine what great looks like for every SKUOwn taste, texture, appearance, aroma, and overall eating experienceAct as the final internal authority on product quality decisionsR&D & Continuous ImprovementOwn all product R&D at the manufacturing levelDesign, run, and document controlled experiments (cuts, seasoning, drying curves, yields)Translate R&D learnings into locked SOPsMaintain a living R&D and product change logManufacturing Process Optimization (Quality-First)Partner with automation and operations teams to tune processes for qualityBalance yield, throughput, and consistency without sacrificing product excellenceIdentify root causes of variability and fix them at the sourceData & DocumentationTrack and analyze batch-level data (yield, moisture loss, defects, rework)Build simple, usable tools that help the floor produce better productUse data to validate improvements not replace judgmentFloor Leadership & TrainingBe present on the floor dailyTrain leads and operators on what good looks likeBuild pride, ownership, and craftsmanship into the teamWhat Success Looks Like:Product quality becomes more consistent, not more bureaucraticR&D moves faster and is better documentedFewer mystery problems in productionOperators understand why quality matters, not just what to doThe CPO can trust that product excellence is protected daily on the floorWho This Role Is ForA former chef, Food R&D lead, or Craft Producer who wants scale and ownershipSomeone obsessed with improving a product that?s already goodComfortable in imperfect, fast-growing manufacturing environmentsHands-on, opinionated and deeply proud of their work