Director of Product Development

Position Overview:

This position will be charged with formulating, testing, and commercializing new product innovations, cost reduction projects, and quality improvements. The Director of Product Development will manage technical aspects of projects and work with a cross functional team. This position will lead the successful development, launch, and ongoing quality of all SAMBAZON products. The Director of Product Development will be a leader in innovation, seeing oncoming trends, pushing blue sky prototyping, and year 3+ pipeline projects. The role will have key responsibilities and work closely with quality assurance, compliance and technical operations, in addition to marketing and innovation. This position will manage all technical documentation for finished products, formulas, processes, and packaging. Member of the Technical Operations and R&D Management Team.

This is a hybrid role, working out of our San Clemente office up to three days per week. This role offers a generous benefits package, an annual bonus opportunity, and half-day Fridays!

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Be technical leader on innovation team to provide guidance on new innovation projects for business approval. Represent QA, compliance, and technical operations in initial scoping and vetting of innovation initiatives and project timelines.
• Create, conduct, analyze, and report on bench top and pilot plant experiments.
• Lead manufacturing trials to test and commercialize products while partnering with technical operations.
• Lead new products and new improvements commercialization.
• Participate in key management reviews for new products with cross functional teams.
• Conduct root cause analyses and implement solutions to fix manufacturing issues.
• Create and manage technical documents for finished products, formulas, and packaging. This includes product specifications, manufacturing procedures, nutritional information, and packaging specifications (including pallet configurations).
• Lead and participate in sensory evaluation & analysis of new and existing products; including documenting outcomes and recommending next steps.
• Manage technical aspects of projects to deliver results on time and on budget.
• Manage cost of goods analysis for all new projects and optimizations; including ingredient, packaging, tolling, production losses, etc. for financial approval.
• Bench-top formulation work and management of development consultants for new or existing products. Developing formulas within defined guardrails for cost, nutrition, and taste.
• Develop strong relationships with internal and external partners, customers, suppliers, and co-manufacturers to develop and implement solutions.
• Travel up to 20% as needed, including visits to co-manufacturer plants & suppliers.

Education and Experience:

• 10+ years experience in either R&D/Product Development. Certified organic products and/or beverages and frozen desserts a plus.
• Experience working directly with manufacturing facilities to test products.
• Experience writing and working with technical specifications and documentation. Packaging experience is a plus.
• Strong project management skills & track record of managing multiple projects with tight deadlines.
• Good computer skills – MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Genesis/Esha. Filemaker is a plus.
• Basic lab skills – pH, brix, etc.
• B.S. degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, or similar discipline.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Food Science and Technology
• Product Development & Innovation
• Project Management
• Quality Steward
• Teamwork
• Dealing with Ambiguity and Change
• Continuous Improvement Mindset
• Creativity
• Detail Oriented

Key Functional Skills/Knowledge:

• Demonstrated ability to develop and manage multiple projects and priorities.
• An understanding of the principles of intellectual property.
• Intellectually curious to find and develop opportunities and solutions.
• Highly creative technical development and/or problem solving skills, resourceful.
• Demonstrated excellence in project management
• Demonstrated excellence at building relationships, collaboration, and working cross-functionally.
• Self directed, high energy, with good attention to details.
• Comfortable working with change and ambiguity.
• Strong working knowledge of food science, health and nutrition, food manufacturing processes, quality assurance principles, basic laboratory procedures and analyses, ingredient supply market and market research practices.
• Familiarity with regulatory compliance requirements, quality systems, and technical documentation.