Director of R&D, Technical Services & Innovation

The Morning Star Company • Los Banos, CA

8d

About The Position

The Morning Star Company is seeking an accomplished food scientist and technical leader to provide technical leadership across research and development, product innovation, process development, commercialization, customer technical support, packaging innovation, food safety, and manufacturing optimization. The Director partners with customers, agricultural operations, manufacturing teams, suppliers, and commercial colleagues to identify opportunities, solve technical challenges, commercialize new products, improve manufacturing processes, and create long-term competitive advantages.

The role requires scientific expertise, business acumen, creativity, customer engagement skills, and the ability to influence others within Morning Star’s Mission Focused Self-Management™ culture. It leads technical strategies and projects from concept through commercialization, supports manufacturing and customer needs, and drives continuous improvement in product quality, efficiency, sustainability, food safety, and operational excellence. Domestic and international travel may be required as business needs dictate.

Requirements

• Minimum of ten years of progressive technical leadership experience within the food manufacturing industry.
• Demonstrated success commercializing food products from concept through full-scale manufacturing.
• Extensive knowledge of food chemistry, food microbiology, thermal processing, ingredient functionality, product development, and manufacturing operations.
• Strong understanding of FDA regulations, FSMA, HACCP, Preventive Controls, nutritional labeling, food packaging regulations, and quality management systems.
• Experience with aseptic processing, hot-fill processing, retorts, dehydrated foods, low- and high-acid foods, and industrial ingredient manufacturing.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and presentation skills.
• Proven ability to build long-term relationships with customers and cross-functional teams.
• High ethical standards, intellectual curiosity, creativity, and entrepreneurial initiative.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as business needs require.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Food Technology, or a related scientific discipline.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for technical services across Morning Star and affiliated companies.
• Develop and execute technical strategies supporting innovation, commercialization, manufacturing excellence, food safety, quality, and customer growth.
• Serve as the principal technical resource for customers, manufacturing operations, and executive leadership.
• Identify opportunities to improve product quality, manufacturing efficiency, customer satisfaction, and profitability.
• Lead research, development, formulation, and commercialization of new products, including ingredient systems and finished food products.
• Evaluate food trends, consumer preferences, competitive products, and emerging technologies; translate customer concepts into commercially successful products.
• Develop bench-top formulations and pilot-scale products and support full-scale manufacturing validation.
• Provide technical leadership on food processing technologies and manufacturing systems, including thermal processing, aseptic processing, hot-fill, retort, dehydration, concentration, evaporation, ingredient functionality, process optimization, and hygienic equipment design.
• Develop manufacturing processes that improve quality, efficiency, yield, sustainability, food safety, reliability, and cost competitiveness.
• Provide technical leadership on primary and secondary packaging systems and evaluate and implement packaging improvements and sustainable packaging solutions.
• Build customer relationships as a trusted technical advisor, lead innovation sessions, and deliver technical presentations.
• Assist customers with product development and reformulation, manufacturing optimization, ingredient functionality, packaging selection, specifications, cost optimization, and documentation.
• Work with commercial teams to identify new business opportunities.
• Collaborate with agricultural operations on tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, basil, and other specialty crops to improve raw material quality, functionality, processing characteristics, sustainability, and economics.
• Support compliance with food safety, regulatory, labeling, and customer requirements, and support customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• Assist manufacturing facilities with investigations, corrective actions, validation activities, and continuous improvement.
• Lead projects from concept through commercialization, developing timelines, milestones, validation protocols, and commercialization strategies.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams involving manufacturing, engineering, agriculture, procurement, quality, automation, commercial colleagues, customers, and external partners.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects while meeting timelines.
• Implement data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement to enhance product performance, manufacturing capability, customer satisfaction, technical knowledge, sustainability, operational excellence, and innovation.

Benefits

• Industry-leading medical, dental, and vision coverage for colleagues and eligible family members, with Company-paid premiums.
• Company contributions to Health Savings Accounts (HSA).
• 401(k) retirement plan with Company matching contributions.
• Paid vacation and holidays.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Opportunity to help shape an innovative food manufacturing organization.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director