VP R&D Global Snacking

''•Chicago, IL

15h•$300,000 - $350,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer, the Vice President, R&D – Global Snacking provides enterprise leadership and accountability for all aspects of global Snacking product development and product stewardship. This role translates McCain’s enterprise growth ambitions into a differentiated, consumer-led innovation and renovation agenda, while accelerating speed to market and ensuring flawless execution across regions and channels. The VP will lead the global Snacking R&D organization, shaping strategy, capability, and culture to deliver winning products at scale. Success in this role requires deep cross-functional partnership with Marketing, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, Sales, and regional business leaders to drive sustainable P&L performance, technical brand stewardship, and superior consumer and customer experiences.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific discipline.
15+ years of progressive leadership experience within R&D, Innovation, or Product Stewardship in consumer-packaged goods, food, or snacking categories, including senior global roles.
Proven track record of leading complex, global innovation portfolios and delivering strong commercial and brand results at scale.
Experience managing large, multi-site, multicultural organizations and significant R&D and capital budgets.
Deep expertise in Snacking product development, including frozen and ready-to-eat platforms; coatings; frying and baking technologies.
Strong business acumen with the ability to balance growth, margin, risk, speed, and long-term capability building.
Demonstrated success accelerating speed to market through simplification, agile execution, and decisive leadership.
Executive presence with exceptional influencing, stakeholder management, and communication skills.
Strong understanding of global regulatory, food safety, and nutrition landscapes.
Fluent in English; additional languages an asset.

Nice To Haves

MBA or advanced business training preferred.
Dairy and/or cheese experience is an asset.

Responsibilities

Define and lead the global Snacking R&D strategy aligned to McCain’s enterprise growth agenda, brand strategies, and long-term innovation ambitions.
Translate strategic intent into a robust, multi-year innovation and renovation pipeline that delivers competitive advantage and sustainable growth.
Own the global Snacking innovation portfolio, ensuring clear prioritization, disciplined investment, and accelerated speed to market.
Challenge traditional ways of working and remove structural, functional, and decision-making barriers that slow innovation delivery.
Champion agile, test-and-learn approaches that enable faster concept development, prototyping, and commercialization.
Lead the development and execution of Annual Operating Commitments, ensuring alignment across regions, platforms, timelines, resources, and budgets.
Ensure strong portfolio governance, transparent decision-making, and disciplined stage-gate execution from concept through launch.
Integrate product, process, and technology strategies with brand positioning to ensure consistent, high-quality product experiences across all channels (Retail, Foodservice, QSR).
Safeguard long-term brand equity through strong technical stewardship, regulatory compliance, and food safety excellence.
Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing global R&D leadership team and broader technical organization.
Develop future-ready capabilities, talent pipelines, and succession plans across Snacking R&D.
Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, inclusion, and continuous improvement across regions and disciplines.
Accountable for global Snacking R&D investment effectiveness, including budgets, resource allocation, and ROI.
Partner with Finance and business leaders to balance growth, margin, risk, and capability investments.
Act as a trusted strategic advisor to the Chief Innovation & Marketing Officer and the President, Global Snacking as well as the broader executive team.
Represent Snacking R&D in enterprise forums and contribute to cross-category, cross-platform innovation and capability building.