Vice President, Research & Development - Coffee

The J.M. Smucker Co.•Orrville, OH

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

Own the end-to-end Research & Development (R&D) strategy for an iconic portfolio including Folgers®, Dunkin’® (At Home), Café Bustelo®, Medaglia D’Oro®, and Café Pilon®. Provide scientific and technical guidance across green coffee sourcing, roast and blend development, sensory and flavor science, packaging, process engineering, and format innovation including ground, whole bean, one-cup/K-Cup pods, instant, espresso, and ready-to-drink (RTD). Leverage enterprise capabilities, platforms, and shared services to advance the Coffee development agenda while contributing to our R&D function-wide priorities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field
7+ years of progressive R&D experience within the food and beverage industry, with significant leadership accountability.
Deep expertise in beverage and/or coffee science including product development, roast/blend formulation, flavor development, and processing technologies.
Proven experience leading large, cross-functional teams and complex product portfolios from concept through commercialization.
Demonstrated experience navigating commodity-intensive categories and partnering with Procurement on sourcing, hedging-aware development, and supplier innovation.
Cross-functional collaboration skills with experience partnering across Procurement, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Operations.
Ability to translate technical insights into business impact, prioritize innovation pipelines, and ensure disciplined R&D investment aligned to commercial objectives.
Commitment to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and driving transformation initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in science or engineering field
Familiarity with green coffee sourcing, roasting, grinding, packaging, one-cup/pod systems, instant/soluble, and/or RTD beverage formats.
Experience working in highly matrixed organizations and leveraging shared enterprise capabilities

Responsibilities

Own our Coffee Strategic Business Area (SBA) development strategy — including roast/blend innovation, format and occasion expansion (one-cup, RTD, espresso-style iced beverages), packaging innovation, and renovation pipelines for Folgers, Dunkin', Café Bustelo, Medaglia D'Oro, and Café Pilon.
Lead and manage large, cross-disciplinary technical teams through all aspects of the product life-cycle — from green coffee evaluation and cupping through commercialization and in-market support.
Partner closely with our Procurement organization to align on commodity sourcing, supplier qualification, and roasting facility excellence — recognizing the uniquely commodity-intensive nature of the coffee business.
Maintain alignment and collaborative with our Senior VP of our Science and Technical Excellence and team by leveraging shared platforms (sensory, analytical labs, packaging, regulatory, technical writing & specs) to ensure Coffee R&D priorities are integrated into enterprise capability roadmaps.
Build and develop high performing teams with strong technical and leadership capabilities to drive engagement and growth.
Translate technical, sensory, and consumer data into insights that influence business decisions, brand strategy, and pricing/revenue management — particularly important given current green coffee commodity volatility and tariff exposure.
Leverage internal and external technology capabilities to develop products that delight consumers; continuously search for and vet advanced technologies (extraction, processing, sustainable sourcing, RTD beverage systems, premiumization platforms) that complement areas of strategic focus.
Champion consumer-driven innovation across generations and multicultural segments, supporting Café Bustelo's category-leading growth and Folgers' relevance with next generation consumer segments.
Support business continuity, productivity, and continuous improvement in partnership with our enterprise Transformation Office, contributing to margin recovery and supply chain resilience.