Food Production R and D Manager

100 Percent Employer Paid Health Insurance Position Summary

The Research and Development Project Manager plans, coordinates, and directs the innovation process and day‑to‑day recipe creation & maintenance at Trailblazer Foods. This technical role is responsible for research, planning, and implementing new programs, products and protocols into the organization while overseeing the development of new products. The R&D Project Manager is a role that serves as a source of technical expertise for the company regarding the functional components of food and processing techniques used in all products.

The R&D Project Manager is tasked with overseeing the entire development process of new products from the initial planning phase to production.

(include the following & other duties as assigned).

• Maintain reliable attendance, including overtime as needed.
• Oversee R&D planning, policies, and procedures.
• Managing, directing & coordinating with the R&D Admin to ensure deliverables are produced in a timely and cost‑effective manner. The R&D Admin is a direct report to the R&D Project Manager.
• Follows GMPs and general HACCP guidelines.
• Updates and maintains the cook deck HMI (recipe) system. Responsible for creating new work recipes in the system, as well as editing current work recipes for rework additions or input changes.
• Represents the company in discussions with customers and potential partners about product development.
• Buy, order, and collect ingredients for benchtop sample creation and maintain organization of the R&D storage and cooking areas.
• Participates in SQF audits as related to product realization.
• Identify and troubleshoot technical problems related to recipes.
• Contact suppliers when necessary to confer on specific R&D issues.
• Conduct internal sensory testing.
• Create and maintain specification sheets for all products ensuring all information is accurate and up to date.
• Design and research new concepts.
• Act as a source of technical knowledge for production staff as well as aiding in day‑to‑day trouble shooting for current products.
• Train and mentor staff on technical information (e.g. chemical and physical properties of pectin, effects of temperature and the solubility of different gums and starches, effects of brix and pH on the gelation of pectin, etc.).
• Gives regular written and verbal status reports for all active new product development efforts both directly to the management team and to customers, where necessary.
• Works with vendors to determine appropriate ingredient solutions for current formulas and research and development projects. Consults technical expertise when needed.

• Create nutrition fact panels and ingredient statements for label development, in NLEA format (Genesis software).
• Support purchasing, the controller and sales team in the costing and yield calculations for potential new products.
• Support purchasing for new ingredient approvals. Complete sample requests for needed items.
• Plan and carry out test batches for all new recipes. Take notes and recap results of all trials. Conduct pre‑ and post‑trial reviews. Hold meetings with production team for product launch preparations and conduct review meetings afterwards to finalize the results. Give feedback where needed for issues that arise.
• Conduct periodic training and conduct meetings to go over production recipes.

• Formulate, produce, and organize all sales and research benchtop samples needed.
• Create standard recipes, rework recipes and special recipes (rework, changes in fruit) and reformulate discontinued and active items when needed. Update all recipes with current work instructions, packaging information and pallet formations.
• Manage scale‑up and commercialization efforts for all new formulations:
  • Personally supervise test batches
  • Train staff on new processes or procedures associated with new formulations prior to test batches
  • Partner with maintenance and engineering to design and install new equipment necessary for process improvements and those needed to produce new products
• Conduct fill tests for new packaging.

• Create and manage R&D…