R&D Manager, Brand Maintenance & Productivity

THE ROLE

The R&D Manager, Brand Maintenance & Productivity is responsible for maintaining the integrity, quality, and efficiency of the existing beverage portfolio. This role leads formula stewardship, cost optimization initiatives, and technical execution of brand maintenance projects. The position is a hands-on technical leadership role that manages a team of R&D Scientists or Technicians while actively contributing to formulation, experimentation, and plant trial execution. This role works cross-functionally with Procurement, Quality, Regulatory, and Supply Chain teams to ensure the portfolio remains consistent, scalable, and optimized for both sensory performance and operational efficiency.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Brand Maintenance & Formula Stewardship

• In collaboration with Quality and Regulatory departments, own technical stewardship of the existing beverage portfolio, ensuring formulas remain consistent, compliant, and scalable across manufacturing locations.
• Manage formula and specification updates related to ingredient changes, supplier transitions, regulatory updates, process improvements, and ongoing specification refinement based on production learnings ensuring all changes are clearly communicated, reviewed, and aligned with manufacturing partners for accuracy and execution readiness.
• Evaluate and mitigate potential risks to product quality, sensory, or manufacturability when changes are introduced.

Productivity, Cost Optimization & Supply Continuity

• Identify and lead cost savings initiatives across the portfolio, including ingredient optimization, supplier qualifications, and specification improvements.
• Partner with Procurement to validate alternative suppliers and ingredients.
• Own ingredient and formula specification R&D technical approvals.
• Conduct technical assessments to ensure cost improvements do not negatively impact sensory quality, product stability, or processability.
• Develop technical justification, validation plans, and implementation strategies for productivity initiatives.

Sensory Validation & Technical Problem Solving

• Design and execute sensory evaluation protocols to validate formula, ingredient, and process changes across the existing portfolio.
• In collaboration with Quality, investigate product performance issues including sensory deviations, shelf-life concerns, and process variability. Design and execute experiments to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Interpret sensory, analytical, and process data to inform technical decisions and risk assessments.
• Document findings, conclusions, and recommendations to support cross-functional decision-making and leadership updates.

Commercialization & Manufacturing Support

• Lead plant trials related to brand maintenance, formula renovations, and productivity projects. Develop protocols, success criteria, and post-trial reporting documentation with clear technical recommendations.
• Translate bench-scale formulations into scalable manufacturing processes and support troubleshooting during scale-up.
• Serve as key R&D technical contact for manufacturing plants during process, formula, or specification updates.

Team Leadership

• Directly manage a team of R&D Scientists, providing guidance on experimental design, data interpretation, and project prioritization.
• Balance hands-on technical contribution with effective delegation to ensure efficient project execution.
• Support technical skill development in areas such as formulation, commercialization, sensory evaluation, and manufacturing support.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 6-8+ years of product development in the food and beverage industry. Experience with carbonated beverages strongly preferred.
• 0-2 years of experience managing and developing technical team members.
• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or a related field.
• Excellent mathematical and analytical skills
• Proven experience supporting commercialization and plant-scale manufacturing.
• Familiarity with regulatory requirements and quality standards in the beverage industry.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot technical issues.
• Strong project management skills and ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Experience with ingredient supplier qualification and cost optimization.
• Effective communication and teamwork skills.
• 25-40% travel to manufacturing plants, suppliers, and team offsites
• Close proximity to our lab in Burlingame. Ability to work onsite 4 days a week.

REPORTS TO:

Sr. R&D Manager

COMPENSATION:

$110,000 - $130,000