Manager, R&D

Position: 02701A - Manager, R&D
When it comes to baking, Bake Mark has its own secret ingredient: a team of passionate talented employees. For over 100 years, Bake Mark has stood for excellence in quality and service, for our customers, our stakeholders and our colleagues. We attribute our success to our colleagues and their contributions towards meeting the needs of our customers and stakeholders. We shall share our values and ways of working.

We are passionate about the baking industry. We excel at creating strong partnerships within the company and with our loyal customers. We love to innovate and thrive to manufacture and deliver performing bakery products and world-class customer service.

With over 100 years of service to the baking industry, Bake Mark is recognized as an industry leader and trusted partner for quality bakery ingredients, products, supplies and service. Bake Mark is a manufacturer and distributor with 23 branches conveniently-located across the U.S.

At Bake Mark we appreciate our employees and their families and offer a competitive pay and a full suite of benefits:

• Competitive Compensation
• Health, Dental, Vision & Life Insurance (Comprehensive healthcare benefits package, with many coverage options at a very low employee cost)
• 401K (generous retirement benefits) with a Company Match
• Paid Holidays and Paid Time Off

Summary: The Manager, Research & Development (R&D) is responsible for leading product innovation, formulation development, and continuous improvement initiatives. This role oversees the development of new bakery products, reformulation of existing products, and collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure products meet quality, regulatory, and customer requirements.

Responsibilities:

• Lead new product development from concept to commercialization.
• Develop and reformulate bakery mixes, fillings, icings, frozen doughs, and related products.
• Manage R&D projects, timelines, and documentation.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Quality Assurance teams to align product strategy with market needs.
• Conduct bench-top trials, plant trials, and scale-up production runs.
• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, labeling standards, and industry guidelines.
• Monitor ingredient trends, cost optimization opportunities, and competitive products.
• Oversee sensory evaluations and product performance testing.
• Manage and mentor R&D team members.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in food science, Food Technology, or related field (master's preferred).
• 5+ years of experience in bakery product development.
• Strong knowledge of ingredient functionality, dough systems, and baking processes.
• Experience with regulatory compliance (FDA, labeling requirements, etc.).
• Proven project management and leadership experience

Bake Mark is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at Bake Mark via-email, the Internet or in any form and/or method without a valid written agreement in place for this position from Bake Mark HR/Recruitment will be deemed the sole property of Bake Mark. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by Bake Mark as a result of the referral or through other means.

Bake Mark is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment, in accordance with the requirements of all applicable state and federal laws, on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, age or any other basis prohibited by law.