Manager, R&D - Product Development: Desserts
About The Position
The R&D Manager will lead product development across the Dessert business portfolio while managing and developing a team of product developers. The team supports innovation, renovation, brand maintenance, portfolio evolution, and value engineering. The role translates business needs and supply and regulatory requirements into practical development plans, drives technical execution, and guides projects from concept through commercialization. This position balances people leadership with technical and project leadership in a dynamic, cross-functional environment. It requires sound product development judgment, the ability to manage competing priorities, and collaboration with R&D, operations, quality, regulatory, marketing, and supply chain. The manager will build team capability, set clear expectations, and develop talent to meet current and future business needs. The position is based at the Glenview R&D Center in a normal office environment with open workspaces and visits to external locations. It follows a hybrid schedule requiring at least three days per week in the office. Travel of up to 30% is required, including to internal plants, co-manufacturers, suppliers, and other business locations in the United States and Canada. Physical demands include lifting up to 30 pounds and navigating laboratory, storage, and manufacturing environments. The new-hire base salary range is $104,200 to $130,200. The role is eligible for a performance-based bonus. The company describes benefits and wellbeing programs that may include healthcare coverage, dental and vision coverage, paid time off, company holidays, leave of absence, flexible work arrangements, training, an Employee Assistance Program, family support programs, a 401(k), life and disability coverage, and wellbeing programs. Program availability may vary based on role, country, region, union status, and other employment factors.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related field, plus at least 6 years of product development experience in CPG, food and beverage, or a related industry; alternatively, a master’s degree plus at least 5 years of relevant experience, or a PhD plus at least 4 years of relevant experience.
- People leadership experience, including leading, coaching, and developing technical talent.
- Strong knowledge of ingredients, product formulation, processing equipment, ingredient interactions, and laboratory test methods.
- Ability to lead product development and commercialization across multiple projects and priorities.
- Strong communication, influencing, project management, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment with changing priorities.
- Strong technical judgment and ability to design experiments, interpret results, and adjust plans as needed.
- Self-motivated, with the ability to deliver results and take ownership in a complex environment.
- Ability to prioritize competing business needs and make sound tradeoff decisions.
- Willingness to travel up to 30%, including to internal plants, co-manufacturers, suppliers, and other business locations in the United States and Canada.
Responsibilities
- Lead product development across multiple cross-functional projects and product categories within the Desserts business, including brand maintenance, portfolio evolution, and productivity initiatives.
- Manage, coach, and develop a team of product developers by setting priorities, providing feedback, and building technical and leadership capability.
- Translate business objectives and regulatory requirements into development plans and ensure execution from concept through commercialization.
- Partner with cross-functional teams to advance projects, resolve technical issues, and meet business timelines.
- Lead product testing, qualification, and commercialization across laboratory, pilot plant, and production environments.
- Apply technical judgment to product, ingredient, process, and formulation challenges and guide problem-solving and decision-making.
- Communicate technical findings, recommendations, risks, and implications to cross-functional stakeholders and leadership.
- Manage concurrent priorities and identify tradeoffs, resource constraints, and conflicts across planned and unplanned initiatives.
- Build effective ways of working within the team and with cross-functional partners to improve execution, clarity, and accountability.
- Learn and support new categories, technologies, and processing areas as business needs require.
- Ensure high-quality documentation, technical rigor, and executional discipline across development work.
- Mentor, coach, and collaborate with colleagues within and outside the immediate team.
Benefits
- Affordable access to healthcare coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
- Dental and vision coverage.
- Paid time off and company holidays.
- Leave of absence.
- Flexible work arrangements.
- Recognition and training.
- Employee Assistance Program.
- Wellbeing and family support programs.
- 401(k).
- Life, accidental death and dismemberment, and disability coverage.
- Performance-based bonus.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Manager
