Manager, Research & Development

Khloud

1d•$130,000 - $145,000•Remote

About The Position

The R&D Manager is a hands-on technical lead at Khloud Foods, responsible for leading product commercialization from concept through full-scale production across the company’s co-manufacturing network. The role also drives quality, cost, yield, and consumer-experience improvements for existing products and leads internal and external sensory research to inform product decisions. This is an individual-contributor position with no direct reports that sets technical standards and processes while providing practical, on-site support to resolve plant and production issues. The role works closely with Operations, FSQA, Procurement, Supply Chain, Marketing, Sales, Technical Services, suppliers, co-manufacturers, and research vendors. The position is remote and US-based, with regular travel to co-manufacturers, suppliers, pilot plants, and production facilities. Travel is approximately 25–40%. Work at facilities may involve exposure to allergens and PPE requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related field.
5–10 years of progressive experience in CPG food product development, commercialization, or technical operations, including at least 3 years leading projects end to end.
Experience with popcorn, baked snacks, or fried snacks.
Track record of leading products from concept through scale-up, plant trials, and commercial launch.
Strong formulation and ingredient-functionality skills, with judgment to balance sensory, quality, cost, and manufacturability.
Experience leading trials and resolving technical issues with co-manufacturers.
Experience designing sensory tests, including triangle, paired-comparison, hedonic, and descriptive tests, and managing external consumer-research vendors, including IHUTs.
Working knowledge of food safety, quality systems, labeling, and retailer specifications.
Strong project-management skills and ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
Ability to travel approximately 25–40%.
Willingness to travel to pilot plants and production facilities, where there may be exposure to allergens and PPE requirements.

Nice To Haves

Experience with high-protein or better-for-you products.
Experience building R&D processes in an emerging, high-growth company.
Experience with continuous-improvement or operational-excellence methods.

Responsibilities

Lead development of new products, line extensions, renovations, and cost-optimization projects across snack formats such as popcorn and chips.
Partner with Marketing to translate consumer insights and product concepts into formulas that satisfy sensory, cost, manufacturing, regulatory, and retailer requirements.
Define product requirements, assess technical and food-safety feasibility, and support claims substantiation with Regulatory.
Evaluate ingredients and processing methods for performance, scalability, and cost.
Own commercialization from feasibility through full-scale production, ensuring launches meet retailer dates.
Lead plant trials, scale-ups, and process validations across co-manufacturers, and make go/no-go decisions.
Resolve technical challenges in high-protein formulas, including hardness, dryness, binding, and off-notes.
Research emerging ingredients, processing technologies, and category trends to inform the product pipeline.
Serve as the primary technical resource for each product throughout its lifecycle and as the day-to-day technical lead for co-manufacturing partners.
Partner with Quality on root-cause investigations of significant quality, process, and production issues and drive lasting corrective actions.
Lead projects to improve yield, throughput, consistency, product quality, and consumer experience.
Deliver cost savings through formula optimization, ingredient changes, and process improvements without compromising product integrity.
Use plant data, consumer feedback, and sensory results to prioritize improvements and track KPIs.
Run internal employee sensory studies to inform product design decisions.
Scope and manage external consumer research, including in-home use tests (IHUTs), central location tests, and competitive benchmarking.
Write RFPs, select and manage research vendors, and drive research timelines.
Partner with Marketing and Insights on research objectives, screeners, questionnaires, and action standards, and present findings to leadership.
Align priorities and deliver launches with Operations, FSQA, Procurement, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Sales.
Communicate project status, risks, and recommendations to leadership and build strong relationships with suppliers, co-manufacturers, and technical partners.
Ensure formulas, process changes, validations, and technical learnings are documented in partnership with Technical Services.
Set project-execution standards through the stage-gate process, including change control and document control.
Improve product-development processes, tools, and team efficiency, and keep the project portfolio, timelines, and performance metrics visible to leadership.