Senior R&D Manager, Protein Beverage Commercialization

This is an exciting entrepreneurial leadership opportunity within an ultra-innovative category-defining protein beverage, functional foods and nutritional products company with new research labs and expansive growth plans. You will be charged with overseeing Product Development, Innovation and Commercialization of innovative protein-focused beverage platforms including ready-to-drink (RTD), aseptic and powdered protein beverages, coffee creamers and nutritional dairy-alternative products from product launch through to commercialization.

Your overall roles and responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing Product Development, Innovation and Commercialization of protein-forward food & beverage products including RTD and aseptic protein beverages, powdered protein products, nutritional beverages and coffee creamers, and category-defining dairy and dairy-alternative beverage platforms.
• Partnering with marketing, scientific and technical core team members to define project scope, success criteria, and critical paths while maintaining Stage Gate methodologies from innovation, R&D, beverage formulation, process scale up, aseptic processing, sensory testing, product launch through to successful completion of post-launch reviews.
• Leading formulation, flavor development and optimization efforts for protein beverages, including taste, texture, stability, shelf life and nutritional targets.
• Understanding and leveraging the nutritional impact value of products, interpreting results and working with Marketing to further formulation-driven product development and renovation efforts.
• Effectively communicating scientific, formulation and processing concepts to technical and non-technical audiences at multiple levels to enable sound business decisions.
• Supporting manufacturing and operations through pilot-scale trials, scale-up activities and first commercial production runs, including troubleshooting and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Driving the success of Business Operations through project planning, cost awareness, cross-functional execution and contribution to KPI development.
• Serving as a key technical contributor within the product development organization, collaborating closely with R&D, Quality, Operations and Supply Chain teams.

Desired Skills & Experience

• 4–8 years of product development experience within protein beverages, nutritional beverages, RTD drinks, powdered protein products, dairy or dairy-alternative beverages, nutritional products or related food & beverage industries.
• BS or MS in Food Science, Food Engineering, Nutrition or related scientific field.
• Hands-on experience formulating and commercializing RTD, aseptic and shelf-stable protein beverages, including liquid and powdered formats.
• Demonstrated expertise in beverage formulation, including protein systems, emulsions, stabilizers, hydrocolloids, sweeteners and flavor systems.
• Experience supporting aseptic, UHT or ESL beverage processing, pilot plant trials and manufacturing scale-up.
• Project Management experience supporting beverage products from R&D and formulation through scale-up, launch and post-commercialization optimization.
• Scientific lab experience working with functional ingredients, nutritional components, flavor chemistry, sensory evaluation, emulsions and beverage stability a plus.
• Experience working within FDA, GMP, HACCP and CFR compliance environments.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical formulation and processing concepts into clear business-relevant insights.
• Self-motivated, collaborative and adaptable, with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, growth-oriented product development environment.