Organic Valley, a farmer owned organic dairy cooperative.
1834 Owners Strong
Employment Opportunities
Position:
Product Development/R&D Manager*
Description:
The Product Development/R&D Manager is responsible for leveraging both technical and management skills to lead technology initiatives. This role is responsible for managing, coordinating, and executing dairy and non dairy product development projects. This position will also provide technical research and support to the new product and existing products team across the Dairy and non dairy technology group.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Manages technical projects through external strategic partners.
- Independently plan, manage and complete technical projects to design, develop and optimize new products with necessary shelf-life and sensory characteristics within designated time frame.
- Assist in the research of appropriate co-processing partners and functional ingredients to implement designated new product.
- Be responsible for building and maintaining a strategic development pipeline of long-term initiatives.
- Oversee and hands-on formulation of new products utilizing internal bench top prototypes and pilot lab trials at Organic Valley Headquarters or external co-processing partner as necessary.
- Provide overall technical leadership across a variety of initiatives.
- Initiate, develop and drive programs to achieve agreed upon objectives within the team and across dairy and non dairy categories.
- Manage and facilitate plant trials and new product start up, working with vendors, production/operation, and external processing partners.
- Manages and oversees some R&D technical functions (e.g., Sensory program, shelf life testing, Label legal claims, product specifications, product/ packaging improvements, Nutritional labeling).
- Develops, enhances and implements procedures to support R&D technical functions.
- Provide leadership in the application of the scientific method and experimental design.
- Document and communicate project summaries and key findings to supervisor on continuous basis.
- Communicates performance expectations by evaluating performance, providing timely feedback, training and coaching, and recommending personnel actions for assigned staff.
- Ensures compliance with policies, safety procedures, and fair employment practices.
- Holds the confidential and proprietary information received from CROPP in strict confidence and exercise a reasonable degree of care to prevent disclosure to others.
Additional Duties and Responsibilities:
- Work closely with packaging, Quality, Category Management and Dairy Production departments to support product performance in the market.
- Chair the New Product and Category Management meetings.
- Effective participation in Q,R&D team meetings.
- Ensure efficiency of cost savings in formulation, pilot lab operation and ingredient selection.
- Maintain and continuous improvement of product development processes ( new products and existing products).
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Dairy Food Science required; Master’s Degree preferred.
- Minimum of 3 years of hands-on experience required; experience in dairy product development (fluid & cultured) preferred.
- Minimum of 3 years experience managing technical personnel.
- Experience with food packaging preferred.
- Strong problem solving and project management skills required.
- Strong written communication skills.
- Demonstrated excellence in communications, leading and motivating others across a range of disciplines.
- A Strong working knowledge of food manufacturing processes, quality assurance principles, ingredient supply market and market research practices.
- Understanding of food science applications, as well as packaging design.
- Understanding of sensory principles, labeling and nutritional programs.
- This role requires very limited travel.
Reports to:
Director of Q, R&D
Job Status:
Regular, Full-Time
Wage:
DOE
Location:
La Farge, WI
All employment at CROPP is at-will and can be terminated by CROPP or an individual employee at any time, for any reason, with or without notice, and with or without cause.
Email Human Relations: hr(at)organicvalley.coop.
Fax: 608-625-3071
Organic Valley
One Organic Way
La Farge, WI 54639
Complete a Job Application.
If you prefer a printable application download here.
(You will need Adobe Acrobat to read the file.)
Organic Valley is an equal opportunity employer.
