Senior Director, Research & Development

Smithfield Foods•Smithfield, VA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Senior Director of Research & Development, you will serve as Smithfield Foods’ senior technical leader responsible for innovation, product development, commercialization, and technical execution across our Fresh Pork and Packaged Meats businesses. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Technical Services, you will lead the company’s Research & Development organization while maintaining ultimate accountability for successful commercialization from concept through market launch. This role will provide strategic direction and leadership for Product Integration, New Product Development, Innovation Center Prototyping, and Manufacturing R&D teams. In this highly visible leadership position, you will drive enterprise innovation, accelerate profitable growth, improve manufacturing performance, optimize processing yields, and deliver meaningful cost savings across the organization. Leveraging deep expertise in meat science, food science, product development, and meat processing, you will collaborate with executive leadership, manufacturing, operations, supply chain, sales, marketing, strategic sourcing, and business management teams to develop and execute strategies that create sustainable competitive advantages. You will serve as a trusted technical authority, guiding scientific innovation, commercialization excellence, manufacturing optimization, and organizational development. Through visionary leadership and disciplined execution, you will build a culture of innovation, technical excellence, continuous improvement, accountability, and business partnership that advances Smithfield’s long-term growth objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in Meat Science, Food Science, Animal Science, Food Engineering, Biological Science, or related technical discipline and 15+ years of progressive Research & Development leadership experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience, required.
10+ years of demonstrated experience leading technical organizations, teams, and people.
Significant experience leading managers, directors, and multifunctional technical organizations.
Extensive expertise in meat science, food science, ingredient functionality, formulation development, and meat processing systems.
Deep understanding of fresh pork and processed meat manufacturing processes.
Demonstrated success leading enterprise-wide innovation and commercialization organizations.
Proven experience commercializing products across multiple manufacturing facilities and complex production networks.
Demonstrated success delivering measurable cost savings, yield improvements, operational efficiencies, and profitability enhancements.
Experience collaborating with Operations, Supply Chain, Strategic Sourcing, Sales, Marketing, Quality, Food Safety, and Business Management teams.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree in Meat Science, Food Science, Animal Science, Food Engineering, or related scientific discipline, preferred.
PhD in Meat Science, Food Science, or related technical field, preferred.
Experience working within large protein, meat processing, or food manufacturing organizations.
Experience leading enterprise-wide commercialization functions.
Experience implementing advanced processing technologies, automation systems, or manufacturing innovations.
Experience managing complex multi-site manufacturing networks.
Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, Six Sigma, or equivalent experience preferred.
Demonstrated success developing university, supplier, or industry research partnerships.
Recognized technical expertise in meat processing, fresh pork, processed meats, or value-added protein products.
Prior manufacturing plant leadership and production environment experience strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the enterprise R&D strategy aligned with growth objectives.
Establish innovation roadmaps, prioritize investments, and manage the R&D portfolio across innovation, productivity, quality, and cost initiatives.
Lead development of new products, product improvements, platform innovations, and customer-driven solutions.
Direct innovation activities from concept, prototyping, and pilot validation through commercialization readiness.
Own successful commercialization execution across the enterprise.
Lead product launches from ideation through manufacturing implementation and market introduction.
Establish commercialization standards, drive cross-functional alignment, manage risks, and ensure stakeholder accountability.
Oversee plant readiness, startup support, customer implementation requirements, and launch performance metrics.
Serve as a senior authority in meat science, food science, and processing technologies.
Provide technical leadership on formulations, ingredients, product functionality, quality systems, shelf life, and manufacturing performance.
Lead complex technical problem solving and apply scientific principles to improve product quality, consistency, and operational outcomes.
Partner with Operations to improve yields, throughput, labor utilization, product recovery, and overall manufacturing efficiency.
Lead Manufacturing Improvement Plans through process optimization, technical innovation, and data-driven decision-making.
Drive continuous improvement and cost-reduction initiatives across ingredients, packaging, formulations, specifications, and processes while protecting quality and food safety.
Identify emerging technologies, processing methods, ingredients, and automation opportunities that create competitive advantage.
Build and maintain strategic partnerships with universities, suppliers, research organizations, and industry experts.
Evaluate and implement new technologies that improve product performance, manufacturing efficiency, profitability, and customer value.
Lead, coach, and develop leaders and technical professionals across the organization.
Drive talent development, succession planning, and performance management strategies.
Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, and technical excellence.
Create a positive employee experience through strong leadership, strategic direction, and organizational capability building.