Lead, R&D – Away From Home Product Development

The Kraft Heinz Company • Glenview, IL

10d

About The Position

Lead, R&D – Away From Home Product Development at a glance.. This is a Research and Development Lead role responsible for delivering product commercialization excellence and future ways of working for the AFH Business Unit across Innovation, Productivity, and Maintenance. This role operates with an Agile mindset to drive continuous improvement strategies and create the leading Food Service organization in the country. The position will offer a seat within the AFH leadership team driving business advancement with the Leads and Directors from Marketing, Operations, Culinary, Procurement, Quality, and R&D. As the R&D AFH Lead, the role will interface with new FS customers directly to win new business and sell in KHC brand equity and speed to market.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree (Masters is a plus) - Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering
• 10+ years of experience in the food industry preferred
• Demonstrated people leadership and strong ability to build effective teams
• Growth mindset
• Challenge self and others to see and apply new insights
• Strong experience in commercialization
• Understanding of ingredient interactions/functionality
• Self-motivated problem solver and the drive to deliver objectives in a complex, fast-paced environment
• Excellent influencing skills
• Willingness to travel 20% pending business needs. Travel could include (but not limited to): within United States and Canada to internal plants, co-manufacturers, and suppliers.

Nice To Haves

• Masters is a plus

Responsibilities

• Directly lead a team of 7 product developers
• Deliver the strategic plans for the AFH business across Growth, Productivity, and Maintenance
• Identify and implement continuous improvement and Agile ways of working to create the industry leading Food Service business team
• Resolve all supply risk and customer service issues to ensure business continuity and customer satisfaction
• Lead technical project presentations in Stage Gate and PMR meetings
• Work directly with the business units, cross-functional teams, plants, and suppliers as the R&D product category lead to manage projects and direct developers
• Lead the product resources and budget for the category

Benefits

• Coverage for employees (and their eligible dependents) through affordable access to healthcare, protection, and saving for the future, we offer plans tailored to meet you and your family’s needs.
• Coverage for benefits will be in accordance with the terms and conditions of the applicable plans and associated governing plan documents.
• We offer events, resources, and learning opportunities that inspire a physical, social, emotional, and financial well-being lifestyle for our employees and their families.
• You’ll be able to participate in a variety of benefits and wellbeing programs that may vary by role, country, region, union status, and other employment status factors, for example: Physical - Medical, Prescription Drug, Dental, Vision, Screenings/Assessments Social - Paid Time Off, Company Holidays, Leave of Absence, Flexible Work Arrangements, Recognition, Training Emotional – Employee Assistance Program , Wellbeing Programs, Family Support Programs Financial – 401k, Life, Accidental Death & Dismemberment, Disability

What This Job Offers

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