Product Development Manager

Banza • New York City, NY

17h • $105,000 - $125,000 • Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for an entrepreneurial Product Development Manager to join our team and manage product optimization & new product development across our product portfolio. You will oversee the renovation of our current products and partner cross-functionally to launch new products that embody Banza’s mission and values. You will be tasked with ensuring the absolute best product hits shelves, while managing timelines, sensory and cost inputs, cross-functional partners, and long-term strategy. You will work closely with the Senior Vice President of Product and other product team members to ensure our products are the best they can be.

Requirements

• 5-8+ years of professional experience in food/beverage CPG product development
• Master’s degree (MSc, Master’s of Food Science, MEng) or equivalent experience and training
• Have successfully worked cross-functionally to manage product optimization projects and taken consumer products from idea to production
• Strong communicator with project management experience
• Adaptable and autonomous; able to adhere to ambitious timelines and able to translate technical concepts into strategic business decisions
• Organized and efficient, with a track record of managing information and designing processes to make speedy, data-driven decisions
• Confident, passionate, and high commitment
• Ability to travel 10%+
• Ability to go into our Midtown office at least 3x per week
• Valid driver’s license and ability to drive required (car not required), particularly for manufacturing site visits
• Passionate about what Banza’s doing!

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with gluten-free products, extrusion, or spray-dried cheese preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead all R&D projects related to the sensory optimization and new SKU development for our in-market product lines
• Co-author new product briefs for new projects, integrating nutritional, sensory & cost targets, in partnership with Brand Management
• Partner with the R&D team to coordinate & execute benchtop prototyping for new and existing products
• Partner with Supply Chain to coordinate & execute line trials to validate performance at scale
• Build and maintain a close partnership with manufacturing & supplier partners to ensure successful product outcomes
• Partner with the Sensory team to design & execute sensory analyses during development, help guide methodology based on project goals, and leverage results to make data-driven decisions
• Work closely with the Quality team to create & maintain product specifications, ensuring manufacturing partners are consistently producing to specification
• Source ingredients and documentation for development purposes and commission lab analyses to guide key decisions like shelf life, nutritionals and more
• Lead technical research projects with external partners (ex. Glycemic index analyses) to understand the positive impact of Banza products and inform external facing claims
• Manage the systems and processes that keep the Product Development team running - including Genesis and associated nutritional documentation, new ingredient onboarding, lab test results database and more

Benefits

• Equity in Banza
• Annual Bonus
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance starting day 1: Banza pays 80% of the monthly premiums for employees and 70% for dependents
• One Medical Membership
• Short Term Disability and Life Insurance
• Flexible Spending Account
• Commuter Benefits
• 401(k)
• Paid Time Off: 20 vacation days, 10 holidays, 6 sick days, 2 personal days, and a birthday day off
• Extended Leave: Short-Term Disability, Parental Leave, and other Paid Family Leave. Support provided by our end-to-end leave management partner, Sparrow
• New Parents: 12 weeks of paid parental leave plus additional optional leave time to add, and 4 weeks of flexible return to work arrangements.
• Breast milk shipping service for traveling team members provided by Milk Stork
• Monthly fitness, internet and phone stipends
• Monthly lunch stipend to encourage team member connection
• Annual education stipend
• Home office set-up stipend
• Unlimited Pasta, Rice & Mac
• $500 annual stipend to purchase our pizza and waffles, wherever they're sold
• Quarterly snack box for remote employees
• Lively NYC office stocked with snacks and beverages
• Quarterly in-person and remote events

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees