Director, Research and Development

Crown Bakeries•Smyrna, GA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Research & Development is responsible for leading and executing research and development initiatives that deliver differentiated food innovations supporting near- and long-term growth across Crown Bakeries’ product portfolio. This role drives the development, optimization, and scale-up of new products and technologies across laminated dough, specialty breads, muffins, biscuits, buns, pastries, bagels, and freezer-to-oven segments. Reporting into senior leadership, the Director partners closely with Commercial, Operations, Marketing, Supply Chain, and FSQA to translate business and customer needs into technically sound, commercially viable solutions. This role plays a key leadership position in advancing product development from concept through commercialization while ensuring alignment with business priorities, operational capabilities, and customer expectations. The Director serves as a senior technical leader and key contributor to customer-facing innovation, providing technical expertise to support the sales process and enabling successful commercialization outcomes. This role also supports the development of R&D talent by mentoring scientists, bakers, and commercialization professionals, ensuring the organization maintains strong technical capabilities and a culture of continuous improvement. The successful candidate brings a hands-on, execution-driven leadership style with the ability to challenge existing approaches, drive innovation within a fast-paced manufacturing environment, and influence outcomes across cross-functional teams. Strong business acumen, resilience, and adaptability are essential to delivering solutions that drive measurable value and margin growth. This role works closely with the President, Chief Commercial Officer, Chief Development Officer, Chief Operations Officer, SVP Operations, VP FSQA, Sales Leadership, Supply Chain, Marketing & Consumer Insights, and R&D project teams, with frequent interaction across Director- and Manager-level stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Bakery Science, or related field
10+ years of experience in bakery product development
5+ years of leadership or team management experience
Proven track record of delivering successful product innovations to B2B customers.
Strong technical expertise in baking science, ingredient functionality, formulation, and manufacturing processes.
Demonstrated experience leading and developing technical teams.
Customer-facing experience with strong problem-solving and influence skills.
Strong experience in one or more bakery systems including: Chemically leavened baked goods Laminated dough and pastries Batter and sweet goods Bread and buns Frozen dough or par-baked systems
Shelf-life extension
Clean label formulation
Ingredient functionality (enzymes, emulsifiers, hydrocolloids)
Sensory evaluation
Process optimization and plant trials

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred

Responsibilities

Lead the development of new bakery products including breads, buns, rolls, donuts, pastries, sweet goods, and frozen dough systems.
Drive the innovation pipeline by identifying emerging consumer trends, technologies, and ingredient solutions.
Translate market insights and customer needs into viable product concepts.
Oversee formulation, prototyping, sensory evaluation, and shelf-life validation.
Lead commercialization of new products from benchtop to pilot plant and full-scale manufacturing.
Partner with operations to ensure products meet manufacturability, yield, and efficiency targets.
Manage plant trials, process validation, and technical documentation for successful launches.
Identify and resolve formulation or processing challenges during scale-up.
Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing R&D team including food scientists, bakery technologists, and technicians.
Establish clear project priorities, timelines, and performance metrics.
Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Operations, Quality, and Procurement to align R&D initiatives with business goals.
Support customer development projects and strategic accounts with technical expertise.
Communicate technical insights and project updates to senior leadership and stakeholders.
Ensure all product development adheres to food safety, regulatory, and labeling requirements.
Collaborate with Quality and Regulatory teams on ingredient approvals, specifications, and documentation.
Prepare and submit product development documentation to third-party partners for the creation and validation of nutritional labeling and ingredient statements.
Maintain compliance with FSMA, HACCP, and other relevant food safety standards.
Develop and manage the R&D budget including ingredient trials, lab equipment, and external partnerships.
Prioritize projects based on business impact, technical feasibility, and market opportunity.
Build relationships with ingredient suppliers and industry partners to access emerging technologies.