Food Lab Operations Manager

WK Kellogg•Battle Creek, MI

16h•Onsite

About The Position

At WK Kellogg Co, we exist to create joy and connection to inspire Gr-r-reat days. We believe that doing good is always good for business and we have stood for this since Kellogg Company was founded more than 120 years ago. We are passionate about doing our part to make nutritious foods, create social connectivity and respect natural resources. Together, these actions create positive progress for people and the planet – today and for years to come. We have big plans for how we are going to accomplish this, and we would love for you to join us in this effort. If you’re a people-oriented problem solver who enjoys tackling new challenges every day, we’d love to hear from you. If you’re passionate about driving innovation while also valuing the importance of clear policies and governance, there’s a place for you here. If you enjoy helping others grow and develop—and food is your passion—we have a place for you. The Food Lab Operations Manager will own the end-to-end operation and performance of the R&D Food Lab and its supporting operational services. This role ensures the safe, compliant, and efficient execution of prototype development, scale-up, and testing activities—enabling speed to market and creativity. The position integrates lab execution, food safety, sanitation, purchasing, budget management, finished food storage, and outsourced lab services, serving as a critical interface across R&D, Internal and external partners. The role also serves as the primary liaison with the external pilot plant for scheduling, conflict resolution, and negotiation, acting as the WK Kellogg Co. Interface for pilot-plant trial execution needs.

Requirements

Working knowledge of commercial agreements and service-level expectations
Highly organized and detail-oriented
Strong horizontal and vertical collaborator
Solution-oriented with enterprise mindset
Sound prioritization and escalation judgment.
Lab and operations management
Food safety and sanitation systems
Purchasing, logistics, and SAP/WOW

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in food science, Engineering, Chemistry, or related technical discipline is preferred.
Food, CPG, or manufacturing lab operations leadership is preferred.
Strong background in food safety, quality systems, and GMPs is preferred.
Experience managing outsourced laboratory services is preferred.
Budget ownership, purchasing, and SAP/WOW experience are preferred.
Scheduling, logistics, inventory, and finished goods handling is preferred.
Cross-functional leadership with plants, suppliers, and external partners is preferred.

Responsibilities

Own day-to-day Food Lab operations, including scheduling, inventory management, sanitation, traceability, and prototype execution.
Ensure equipment and ingredient readiness for development and scale-up activities, including sanitation.
Manage finished-food storage, receiving, distribution, and end-to-end log management.
Define and continuously elevate the Food Lab aspiration and experience, creating an environment that inspires creativity while maintaining operational discipline.
Hire, train, mentor, and develop lab staff, contractors, and process leaders.
Ensure compliance with GMPs, food and people safety requirements, SSOPs, SOPs, and LOTO standards.
Coordinate, update, and reinforce lab procedures, safety programs, and onboarding for new lab users.
Serve as a key liaison with Corporate Quality, Legal, and Regulatory to support labeling needs, forensic analysis, and protection of company reputation.
Own purchasing activities for R&D Innovation, including requisitions, purchase orders, goods receipt and purchasing log management.
Manage the lab budget through spend tracking versus budget, GL reviews, GR/IR management, and blocked-invoice resolution.
Ensure timely procurement to support on-site and off-site testing and development activities, including Ingredients for Industrial trials for Kellogg networks and co-manufacturers as needed.
Manage internal laboratory service model to support sanitation.
Define scopes of service and continuously improve lab performance.
Align contracted lab capabilities with business strategies and influence SME staffing to support prototype execution.
Partner with R&D, Quality, and Manufacturing leaders to meet critical business needs and continuity requirements.
Act as the WK Kellogg Co / Kellanova interface for lab and operational needs.
Drive horizontal and vertical collaboration across R&D, Quality, Systems, and Manufacturing.
Proactively identify and escalate operational, safety, compliance, and capacity risks.
Deliver top-line and bottom-line impact through operational efficiency, waste reduction, cost savings, and data-driven decision-making.
Help shape the future-state R&D operations model.
Play a key role in navigating transitions by preserving execution excellence, clarifying accountabilities, and ensuring uninterrupted R&D delivery during periods of change.