Manager, Product Introduction

Ajinomoto Foods North America•San Diego, CA

10h

About The Position

Product Introduction Manager is responsible for managing the development and commercialization of new and revised food product projects and processes. Essential functions of this role include planning, organizing, coordinating and documenting these projects to ensure effective development and vertical startup of in-plant processes, execution of equipment and ingredient testing, and the analysis of manufacturing efficiencies.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Project Management or related discipline and a minimum of 2 years of experience in product management, product development, food manufacturing, or relevant field required.
Experience using Project Management software to build timelines and manage resources, risks, and costs.
Excellent written, communication and organizational skills.
Ability to achieve business results with colleagues of diverse levels, functional expertise, skills, and priorities: effective as both a team player and a team leader.
Must communicate with Management with timely, candid, and accurate information, options, and recommendations.
Capability to juggle numerous projects at once, work well under deadline pressure, and the ability to prioritize workload against deadlines and strategic importance of programs.
Willingness to travel to other facilities in support of product development, product transfer, process improvement, and cost reduction projects is required

Nice To Haves

Project Management certificate is preferred.
Experience in Early Management of TPM is preferred.
Practical experience with managing complex, cross-functional projects specifically in Frozen Foods Industry preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop project teams and collaborate with cross-functional teams to support company product and process launch and sustainment initiatives.
Initiate, direct and manage the design, testing, development, qualification, verification and modification of products and processes from conception to implementation, while ensuring manufacturability of the concept.
Communicate project status, critical path tasks, and escalate any project delays with proposed solutions to Plant Leadership team.
Facilitate and evaluate project risk management, and develop teams and processes to mitigate risk (JEM).
Facilitate internal project team meetings and calls with external vendors.
Escalate project issues and risks to functional and cross functional Management in a timely fashion.
Create and maintain accurate product bill of materials, routings, flow charts, process control and centerline documentation for new and updated products in compliance with ISO/SQF and other applicable management systems.
Evaluate current production processes, manufacturing equipment, and labor and recommend process development and efficiency improvements to R&D, Operations, and technical support teams.
Collaborate with personnel across Product Introduction and other key functions (e.g., R&D, purchasing, finance, legal, product introduction teams) to ensure alignment around key business objectives.
Collaborate with TPM teams to integrate projects into TPM systems (e.g., Autonomous Maintenance, Proactive Maintenance, Focused Improvement, Early Management)