Director of Research and Development - for a leading Food & Beverage Manufacturing Company

• Director of Research and Development
• Syosset, NY

A leading Food & Beverage Manufacturing company is seeking a Director of Research and Development who is genuine, talented, and collaborative to join their ever-growing team. Do you have Food & Beverage Manufacturing experience, or enjoy providing leadership, preparation, and resources to help create a high-functioning work environment? If you answered yes to any of these questions, enjoy being part company with a steady path of evolution and are looking to take your career to the next level, then apply now!

The Director of Research and Development - should have the following skill set:

• Education: Culinary Degree or Bachelors Degree in food science, food chemistry, nutritional science, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years' experience in a manufacturing or restaurant back of house setting
• Strong proficiency in Windows and Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint)
• Thorough knowledge of food production and processing: culinary knowledge related to equipment, product formulation, and quality control technical troubleshooting
• Must have thorough knowledge of food products, recipes and procedures writing, and food costing
• Basic knowledge of ESHA Genesis nutrition bases computer software
• Understanding of production equipment and services
• Keeping current with trends, consumer insights, and competitive restaurant/menu strategies
• Requires independent, analytical, and creative work efforts regarding proper procedures, planning and follow-up
• Requires adaptability to handle multiple projects simultaneously while remaining an awareness of completion dates and understanding of management principles, especially of time management
• Ability to travel up to 40% of the time.
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills

• The Director of Research and Development - will:

• Lead the ideation, analysis, creation, detailed design and validation of new food item concepts and how they would integrate within the larger Tasty Brands ecosystem and align with consumer trends, regulatory standards and operational capabilities

• Develop strategic and creative new products for retail and K-12 school environments.
• Develop and refine specifications for new and/or existing products.
• Manage multiple R&D projects from concept to commercialization ensuring timelines and budget requirements are met
• Collaborate cross functionally with Operations, Sourcing, Sales, and Brand Marketing in communication of technical information, related to new product and existing test programs
• Plan, execute, and evaluate projects while maintaining food safety and regulatory requirements specific to menu development.
• Work alongside multiple departments with all aspects of product roll-out including sourcing, production runs, marketing, creative, training and materials.
• Manage and lead a team of dedicated R&D professionals to develop and create innovative food ideas for both commercial and school nutrition.
• Provide technical expertise for products in development, new or improvement of existing.
• Develop and refine manufacturing processes for breaded chicken, focusing on yield improvement, cost reduction, and scalability.
• Provide technical support to resolve product-related issues and implement corrective actions.
• Responsible for resolution of technical issues that arise during the development, production, or product performance based.
• Nutritional analysis and calculations using ESHA Genesis nutrition software.
• Determining Child Nutrition contributions within USDA guided School Nutrition programs