NPD Commercialization Manager

Brothers International • Rochester, NY

3d

About The Position

Brothers International brings the world's best fruit to its customers. Our Ingredients divisions supply every major food and beverage manufacturer in North America with the fruits from the best growing regions of the world. Our CPG division sells market-leading branded and private label freeze-dried fruits to retailers nationwide.

We are seeking a full-time NPD & Commercialization Project Manager to join our talented team!

The NPD & Commercialization Project Manager serves as the strategic liaison, connecting innovation and operational execution. This role will lead cross-functional teams through the commercialization process, ensuring that new products are not only high-quality but also commercially viable, scalable, and launched on time. The NPD & Commercialization Manager Project Manager will bridge the gap between R&D, Supply Chain, and Sales to translate market trends into profitable, high-quality "fruit for the future."

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business. MS Preferred.
• PMP Certification strongly preferred.
• Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certification
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a project management role.
• 3+ years’ experience in the Food CPG Industry
• Deep understanding of commercialization workflows.
• Ability to communicate strategically, translating technical challenges into business risks/opportunities for executive stakeholders.
• High attention to detail regarding cost-of-goods (COGS), margin analysis, and technical specs.
• Proven ability to influence and lead teams across different geographical locations and departments.
• Effective written and verbal communications skills, interpersonal skills, and time management skills necessary.
• Ability to lead “mis-course” corrections in a fast-paced environment to ensure on-time, high-quality launches.
• Ability to travel if needed.

Nice To Haves

• Background in Food Science/Food Engineering preferred.
• Proficiency in Project Management Software

Responsibilities

• End to End Commercialization: Lead the “Concept to Consumer” process, managing project timelines, critical paths, and cross-functional milestones, driving accountability. Serve as the central point of contact between internal stakeholders and external contract manufacturing partners. Proactively identify and communicate any “red-flag” risks to launch dates or COGS and lead the mid-course corrections necessary to keep projects on track.
• External Partnership & Sourcing: Work with Operations and Supply Chain to ensure manufacturing partners possess the necessary capabilities, certifications, and capacity to meet brand growth targets.
• Specifications & Compliance: Work with the Regulatory team to ensure the development of comprehensive technical product specifications. Ensure all external partners adhere to PCQI, FDA, and brand specific quality standards through regular audits and documentation reviews.
• Resource & Team Leadership: Manage and develop the R&D/Project team, fostering a culture of agility and proactive problem-solving to navigate the challenges.
• Quality Assurance: Partner with the Quality Assurance to ensure the “Gold Standard” established in the R&D phase is consistently executed.
• Cross Functional Collaboration: Facilitate high-impact project meetings with Sales, Marketing, and Logistics to align product positioning and volume forecasting with manufacturing and production schedules.
• Stakeholder Orchestration: Serve as the strategic liaison between technical teams and leadership, translating complex R&D or supply chain challenges into clear, actionable business decisions. Influence cross-functional partners (Sales, Finance, Marketing) to ensure resource allocation aligns with highest-priority commercialization targets.

What This Job Offers

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