R&D Manager

JonnyPops•Elk River, MN

1d•$120,000 - $145,000•Onsite

About The Position

We are looking for a R&D Manager to help enable us to continue, and lead with, the creation and execution of our products and manufacturing methodology. In this role, you will have the unique opportunity to leverage your strong technical, possibilities-thinking, and influence skills to advance projects from concept through commercialization. The R&D Manager helps lead the research and development function to drive innovation, product development, and technical excellence within the organization. This role is responsible for managing a team of scientists in the creation, improvement, and commercialization of strong innovation products. The R&D Manager is responsible for partnering and collaborating across Production, QA, Engineering, Supply Chain, and other cross-functional partners to deliver results that meet business objectives, regulatory standard, and manufacturing requirements. This role is expected to be on the manufacturing floor working on executing improvements and innovation 20% of the time while 80% of the time working on leading the team in creation/ideation.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or Masters Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, other related field and 3+ years of product development and commercialization experience.
Demonstrated leadership skills with the agility and adaptability to manage multiple situations with a strong learning mindset
Desire to be a possibilities thinker that will be able to translate ideas into action
Builds effective relationships and partnerships with internal and external partners.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Able to perform basic mathematical calculations and analyses.
Ability to interpret lab results.
Naturally curious, with an appreciation for ambiguity and the ability to embrace the “test and learn” mentality in pursuit of continuous improvement.
Alignment to our mission to spread kindness – JonnyPops is a kindness-based company
Versatility, flexibility, and a willingness to work within constantly changing priorities with enthusiasm.

Nice To Haves

HACCP / FSMA - PCQI Certification preferred
Preferred experience with process development and/or commercialization experience in a food space or industry
Proficient in using Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
Preferred experiencing leveraging AI and building agents

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of R&D scientists, technologists, and support staff
Manage the R&D project portfolio, ensuring timely execution and alignment with business priorities.
Manage quick-turn prototype development to support agile innovation cycles and customer/internal evaluations.
Support building and maintaining a rolling pipeline of early-stage ideas through late-stage development.
Set project milestones, timelines, and resource allocations in collaboration with cross-functional partners.
Provide R&D leadership in early feasibility through commercialization of innovation and renovation as it pertains to the plant floor
Design, develop and build experiments and trials to be implemented into manufacturing
Partner with manufacturing and process engineering teams to scale new products from lab to plant.
Oversee pilot plant trials, first production runs, and troubleshooting during scale-up.
Manage multiple priorities and prioritize based on fast paced evolving business needs
Collaborate/Initiate across Supply Chain, Engineering, Production and internal/external experts to advance ideas through feasibility and implementation
Ensure all food safety protocols are met
Engineer, design and build products with Food Safety, sanitation and cleanliness as a top priority.
Clearly reflect food safety and quality as part of the JP brand, when planning and executing projects, and while interacting with relevant external and internal stakeholders.
Follows, adheres and upholds GMP