Sr Director of Product Development

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Job Title: Sr. Director of Product Development

Location: Corporate – Tyler, TX

Department: Product Development

Reports To: Head of FSQA & Product Development

Direct Reports: Culinary Innovation Director, Director of R&D (2), Corporate Specification and Labels Manager

Travel: 20‑30%

John Soules Foods is a thriving family‑owned food company that has made a positive difference for its customers and consumers for nearly 50 years. Our purpose and promise of Great Food, Made Simple® drive us. Based in Tyler, Texas, the company is a leading national producer of ready‑to‑eat and ready‑to‑cook chicken and beef products and is the number one producer of chicken and beef fajitas in the USA.

We proudly serve a broad portfolio of great‑tasting, high‑quality grilled and breaded products sold throughout the US via retail, food service distributors, and restaurants. National customers include Walmart, Costco, Sam’s Club, Sysco, and HEB. The company was established in 1975 by John Soules Sr., and the business is now in the second generation of family leadership. The organization has expanded dramatically over the past decade, and with its continued growth, it now has annual sales of approximately $1 billion.

The company employs over 2,000 individuals and has three manufacturing facilities in Gainesville, Georgia;
Valley, Alabama; and its headquarters in Tyler, Texas.

The Senior Director of Product Development leads end‑to‑end innovation and commercialization for our ready‑to‑eat grilled poultry and beef and breaded poultry portfolio. This role is responsible for Culinary Innovation, R&D, and Specifications & Labels—steering pipeline strategy, technical feasibility, and compliant execution from concept through launch. The role sets direction for concept creation, technical feasibility, process design, optimization, and launch execution, ensuring excellence from first idea to first production and beyond.

This high visibility role partners cross‑functionally with Operations, Sales, Marketing, Food Safety/Quality Assurance (FSQA), Supply Chain, and Finance to deliver innovative, scalable, margin‑accretive products that win with customers and consumers.

• BS/BA in Food Science, Meat Science, Culinary Arts, Chemical Engineering, or related field required; MS/MBA preferred.

• 12‑15+ years in Product Development for poultry/meat or refrigerated/ready‑to‑eat foods; 7+ years in director level leadership roles. Poultry/meat strongly preferred.
• Deep knowledge of RTE poultry/meat processing (marination, tumbling, cooking, chilling, slicing, breading, packaging—MAP/Vacuum, shelf life, etc.). Additional experience with sauces, starches, and vegetables preferred.
• Proven success delivering consumer‑validated innovation from ideation through scale‑up and commercialization.
• Proven track record launching at scale with OTIF discipline and achieving margin/COGS targets.
• Exceptional cross‑functional collaboration, executive communication, and stakeholder management.
• Strong financial acumen (cost modeling, yield/throughput impacts, and P&L considerations).
• Proven experience in leading and managing teams, with responsibility for strategic planning, team development, and performance management.
• Analytical aptitude for data analysis and sensory science; ability to set targets and interpret consumer testing outcomes.
• Strong grasp of USDA‑FSIS regulatory requirements (labels, claims, standards of identity), HACCP, allergen control, and GFSI schemes.
• Proficiency with PLM/ERP systems (e.g., Spec Right/Trace Gains/M3), formulation and spec management, and labeling workflows.

• Innovation Leadership & Portfolio Management
  • Partner to develop the company’s innovation vision for ready‑to‑eat proteins, balancing culinary trends, unmet customer needs, commercialization feasibility, and plant capability.
  • Translate market, culinary, and customer insights into a prioritized innovation pipeline and renovation agenda (quality upgrades, reformulations, cost/value engineering).
  • Partner with Sales and Marketing to translate insights into innovation…