Senior Vice President, Research & Development

About the Role

Rubix Foods is seeking a dynamic and visionary Senior Vice President of Research & Development (SVP, R&D) to lead our customer driven innovation engine and drive growth through culinary excellence, food science, and operational improvement. Reporting to the CEO, this executive-level role will oversee four critical functions: the Culinary Sales Team, In-House Culinary Development, Food Science Application Team, and the Continuous Improvement Team.

The SVP will be responsible for aligning innovation with customer needs, advancing food technology, and ensuring Rubix Foods remains the trusted partner for our customers.

• Develop and execute the R&D strategy aligned with Rubix Foods’ business objectives and customer partnerships.
• Serve as a thought leader in customer driven innovation, food science, and operational excellence.
• Lead a complex organization of direct and indirect teams, setting vision, driving accountability, and cultivating a culture of high performance and cross-functional partnership.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to identify growth opportunities and emerging trends across food service and private label retail channels.

• Lead and inspire the culinary sales team to deliver customer-focused solutions that achieve our annual growth goals.
• Partner with sales and marketing leadership to translate culinary insights into actionable business opportunities.
• Represent Rubix Foods at key customer meetings, industry events, and innovation showcases.

• Oversee the creation of new menu concepts, flavor systems, and product prototypes.
• Ensure culinary development aligns with consumer trends, operational feasibility, Rubix’s core competencies, and the customer’s strategic needs.
• Foster collaboration between chefs, food scientists, and commercial teams to accelerate customer-driven innovation.

• Direct the application of food science to enhance product performance, shelf life, and sensory quality.
• Guide the team in developing scalable solutions that meet regulatory, safety, and nutritional standards.
• Champion cross-functional projects that integrate culinary creativity with scientific rigor.

• Lead initiatives to optimize processes, reduce waste, and improve efficiency across Rubix Foods’ manufacturing network.
• Implement Lean and Six Sigma methodologies to strengthen our pipeline and boost our hit rate.
• Drive a culture of continuous learning, experimentation, and operational excellence.

• Execute business objectives related to product development and commercialization of profitable value-added products and technologies.
• Prioritize projects daily and adapt to shifting business needs, ensuring continuous progress and communication across all projects — while traveling up to 50% and remotely mentoring and directing the cross-functional leaders and direct reports.
• Empower and elevate the Culinary team.
• Work with strategic manufacturing partners to design, execute, and implement new processing methods and equipment that enable optimum scale-up of newly developed technology.
• Fulfill all product development needs while cultivating a nimble, adaptable team that maintains a positive attitude and consistently supports the brand.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Procurement colleagues to manage raw materials and supplier coordination.

• Location:
  
  This role is based in Jacksonville, Fl. Local candidates or those open to relocation are required.
• Education:
  
  A degree in Food Science or a related field is required; an advanced degree is preferred. Experience in culinary sales management is a plus.
• Experience:
  
  15+ years of experience in Research and Product Development, with a proven track record of leading food teams and creating scalable, customer-driven innovation suitable for large scale manufacturing while keeping the end-user experience in mind.
• Proven project and people management experience is required.
• Management skills:
  Expertise in project management familiar with project planning tools and collaboration, ability to delegate tasks and authority,…