Manager, Research & Development
About this role
Role overview
Title: Manager, Research & Development
Department: Research & Development
Reports to: VP, Research & Development
Experience: 5–8 years in CPG food product development, including at least 3 years leading projects end to end
Location: Remote, US-based, with regular travel to co-manufacturers and suppliers
The R&D Manager is a technical lead for research and development at Khloud Foods. This person leads commercialization from concept to full-scale production across our co-manufacturing network. They also drive quality, cost, and yield improvements on existing products, and run the sensory program that decides when a product is ready.
This is a hands-on, individual contributor role with no direct reports. You will set technical standards and processes that let the business scale, and still get on the plant floor to solve problems. You will work closely with Operations, FSQA, Procurement, Supply Chain, and Marketing.
Key responsibilities
Product development and commercialization
• Lead development of new products, line extensions, renovations, and cost-optimization projects across multiple snack formats (popcorn, chips, etc.) • Partner with Marketing to turn consumer insights and product concepts into formulas that meet sensory, cost, manufacturing, regulatory, and retailer requirements. • Define product requirements, assess technical and food safety feasibility, and support claims substantiation (such as protein content and quality) with Regulatory. • Evaluate ingredients and processing methods for performance, scalability, and cost. • Own commercialization from feasibility through full-scale production, so launches hit retailer dates. • Lead plant trials, scale-ups, and process validations across multiple co-manufacturers, and make go/no-go calls. • Solve the technical problems of high-protein formulas, such as hardness, dryness, binding, and off-notes. • Research emerging ingredients, processing technologies, and category trends to feed the pipeline. • Act as the primary technical resource for each product across its lifecycle.
Manufacturing support and continuous improvement
• Serve as the day-to-day technical lead for co-manufacturing partners. • Partner with quality on root-cause investigations of significant quality, process, and production issues, and drive lasting fixes. • Drive projects that improve yield, throughput, and consistency