Senior Director, Product Development Walnut Creek, CA

Overview

What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? Well, there’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. But beyond that, there’s also plenty of hard work. Because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it.

With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. But we’re not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.

As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need other smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work, this is it. Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.

How You Will Have an Impact at Kinder’s: The Senior Director of Product Development at Kinder's will play a pivotal role in leading the team that drives our core product innovation and renovation projects. Reporting to the SVP of Product & Innovation, you will be responsible for the management and leadership of a team of product developers, focusing on bringing best-in-class products to market with industry-leading speed.

In this multifaceted role, you will collaborate with internal teams, cross-functional stakeholders, and third-party partners to execute key line extensions, including new flavors and packaging formats, and renovate existing products to improve cost, quality, and overall consumer value. You will be responsible for building and supporting a world-class team, with a flexible approach that can easily transition between coaching/mentorship and a hands-on style where necessary.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive the end-to-end development of key line extensions, from concept to commercialization, including new flavors and new packaging formats.
• Support the commercial scale-up of new products, ensuring a seamless transition from development to launch.
• Partner with key internal stakeholders (Brand Management, Sales, Innovation, Project Management) to identify development priorities and translate them into an aggressive, cohesive and attainable project plan.
• Ensure market-leading speed to market and volume of innovation, while delivering against the high quality standards of the brand.
• Build a culture of strong product design excellence including application of design-for-manufacturability and design-for-margin principles.

Product Platform Maintenance & Optimization:

• Partner with R&D leadership to transition new product platforms from the R&D phase to long-term product development.
• Implement learnings from key R&D projects (e.g. clean-label evolutions, quality / technical upgrades)
• Partner with Brand Management, Finance, and Project Management teams to identify and prioritize key opportunities to drive improved product margins while sustaining or increasing product quality.
• Lead the team in the renovation of key existing products to improve cost, quality, and overall consumer value.
• Partner with cross-functional SWAT teams to drive key renovation /optimization projects based on quality standards, financial goals and aggressive attainment timelines.

Process Leadership & Documentations:

• Lead the review and maintenance of all product documentation, ensuring accuracy and accessibility for key internal and external partners.
• Effectively communicate product specifications and critical information to commercialization partners, including creative/packaging design teams, the quality department, and key external partners (including co-packers).
• Drive a project hindsight process to capture key insights and incorporate them into future project team briefing and project prioritization.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Team Leadership:

• Lead and mentor a team of product developers, guiding key projects supporting the core product platforms of the business.
• Partner closely with cross-functional leaders (e.g., Marketing, Sales, Operations, Quality, and Finance) to drive project alignment and ensure…