Director of R&D, Product Innovation

Hi were !

is a self-funded profitable rapidly growing multi-channel DTC specialty food and wellness company with over 550 people on our team. Were changing the landscape of snacking on nuts dried fruit chocolate and more! We planted our roots in Newark New Jersey during the Great Depression selling premium nuts on Mulberry Streets open-air market. Weve come quite a long way since then taking our multi-generational family business online in 1999. Even after 97 years we continue to pride ourselves in expertly sourcing the highest quality foods and treating our customers like family.

Whats our team like Were driven collaborative and entrepreneurial. Energy and passion power our business and we look for candidates who share in that excitement to help us continue to build something special.

The role:

As the Director of R&D Product Innovation you will build and lead in-house recipe development capability a brand-new function at the heart of our innovation and quality agenda. Youll develop original recipes for net new product lines create insourced formulations for products we currently outsource and be a champion for our quality mission. Youll also extend our recipe development capabilities to our B2B business creating custom and private label formulations for wholesale customers.

Reporting to the VP Merchandising & Product Innovation youll sit within the Merchandising team and partner closely with Operations Supply Chain FSQA and Commercialization to take formulations from concept to scaled production. This is a hands-on high-impact role for a food scientist or product developer who thrives on variety: youll juggle multiple innovation and value creation projects at once moving nimbly between chocolate confections and shelf-stable snacks. As our innovation pipeline scales this role offers the opportunity to build out a dedicated Innovation team and shape the future of what makes.

How youll make an impact:

• Develop new commercially viable recipes for net new product lines across shelf-stable snacks chocolate and confections
• Create insourced formulations for currently outsourced products in support of value creation (VCP) and margin initiatives
• Standardize and refine recipes for existing in-house made items to improve consistency and quality
• Develop custom and private label recipe formulations for B2B customers partnering with the sales team to meet customer specifications and requirements
• Take in innovation and VCP briefs from Merchandising and translate them into scalable production-ready formulations
• Partner with Commercialization to scale new formulations from bench to full production
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Merchandising Operations Supply Chain and FSQA to ensure formulations meet quality food safety cost and operational requirements
• Manage multiple concurrent development projects balancing speed to market with rigor and quality
• Help build the foundation for a growing Innovation function including exploring new formats and recipe platforms as we scale

What youll bring:

• Bachelors degree in Food Science Culinary Science or related field preferred
• Minimum 8 years of experience in food product development or R&D preferably in shelf-stable snacks chocolate/confections CPG or food manufacturing
• Strong track record developing commercially viable scalable recipe formulations for shelf-stable snacks; experience with chocolate strongly preferred
• Working knowledge of food safety quality and regulatory considerations in formulation development
• Experience partnering with operations and commercialization teams to scale recipes from bench to production
• Agility and self-motivation with the ability to juggle many projects at once in a fast-moving environment
• A highly collaborative working style and strong cross-functional communication skills
• Bonus: experience with financial modeling of cost impacts for new formulations
  
  

What we offer

• A high-growth and rewarding role in a foundationally strong and rapidly evolving business
• Annual Salary Range: $190000 - $200000 plus annual bonus
• Excellent benefits including a 401K Match
• Paid Maternity Adoption and Paternity leave
• And all the snacks your heart desires a 40% employee discount

EEO STATEMENT

is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard of actual or perceived race color creed religion national origin ancestry citizenship status immigration status age sex or gender (including pregnancy) gender identity or expression (including transgender status) sexual orientation marital status veteran status physical or mental disability genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal state or local laws.

Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should reach out to us at