Manager, Sauce, Licensing & Culinary Applications

Ocean Spray is hiring for a(n) Manager, Sauce, Licensing & Culinary Applications! We’re a team of farmers, thinkers, creators, and doers. Whatever your title, whatever your role — it always comes back to this: we’re a farmer-owned co-op where everyone rolls up their sleeves to get the job done. Three maverick farmers started it all — and we’ve been making our own way ever since. The Manager of Sauce, Licensing and Culinary Applications, leads the global product development of sauce innovation & brand maintenance, supports licensing efforts and provides culinary support and global culinary connectivity with strategic partners in collaboration with cross functional business partners underpinned with food science fundamentals and culinary creativity. This role is accountable for Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce formulations and innovation to drive growth across multiple channels of trade, ensuring cobranding products meet brand equity standards across multiple licensing partnerships, and for Culinary applications, recipe and global culinary network to support our B2B Ingredient business and Food Service Sales... This requires a mix of skills that requires comfort in both a test-kitchen space as well as a laboratory. Cross-functional collaboration is crucial as this role works closely with various functions including R&D, Marketing, Manufacturing, Sales and external customers and partners to translate concepts and culinary ideas into scalable, compliant products for consumption. This role combines Food Science and Culinary expertise, with intellectual curiosity and strategic brand stewardship to drive product differentiation and market success. Given the nature of the responsibilities, this role is designed to be in the Lakeville, MA office five days per week. A Day in the Life... Product Development Lead Sauce Product Development – Lead product development for our cranberry sauce business to drive expansion of our sauce business through new product innovation and use occasions. Lead team to create product specifications that can translate from bench to large scale manufacturing and meet food safety, quality, regulatory compliance and product stability for target markets and channels of trade Technical Stage Gate - Guide team through our Technical Stage Gate process, from Ideation through Launch, ensuring sufficient technical and project management rigor is effectively incorporated into project plans. Guide development of robust learning plans for all commercialization projects. Licensing Support Licensing Partnerships - Serve as the culinary and product development lead for licensed product initiatives, ensuring alignment with brand standards and licensing agreements. Ensure Food Safety, Regulatory & IP Compliance: Work with legal, regulatory and Food Safety teams to ensure all licensed products meet food safety standards and respect intellectual property rights. Partner Collaboration: Act as a liaison between internal teams and external licensors, ensuring product deliverables meet expectations and timelines. Culinary Applications Lead Culinary Application Strategy: Drive the development of innovative food concepts and applications to support Ingredient and Food Service Sales. Collaborate with Sales and Marketing to create recipes and prototypes that are tailored to specific customer needs and extend our ingredients and products into new occasions and channels. . Coordinate and execute samples and live customer culinary demonstrations to enhance sales. Chef to Chef Collaboration: Support the business team with Chef to Chef collaboration and partnership with key customers to enhance understanding of customer innovation pipeline requirements. Collaboration/External Partnerships – Establish a global network of Culinary partners to ensure local relevance, share best practices, successful applications and amplify the culinary team’s footprint. Prototype Development: Oversee the creation of culinary concepts and prototypes as inspiration for new products, that incorporate the latest flavor and ingredient trends and consumer insights. Social Media - Support Marketing and Sales with advertising and social media content as needed. Cross-functional Leadership Collaborate within R&D and and with Other Commercial Functions Work closely with R&D partners (Product Development, Food Safety & Quality, Regulatory, Packaging), as well as cross-functional partners (Marketing, Sales, Social Media) Support Sales & Commercialization: Provide culinary expertise during customer presentations, trade shows, and product launches. Training & Knowledge Sharing: Educate internal stakeholders on culinary trends, product usage, and brand-specific culinary guidelines in partnership with external network Strategic Planning & Market Insights Trend Analysis: Monitor culinary and consumer trends to inform product innovation and licensing opportunities. Competitive Benchmarking: Analyze competitor products and market positioning to identify gaps and opportunities for licensed culinary offerings. Portfolio Optimization: Evaluate existing licensed products for performance and recommend improvements or discontinuations. What We Are Looking For: Strong foundation in culinary arts, food science, and product development, especially in translating culinary concepts into scalable CPG products. Demonstrated experience in commercialization of new products in CPG. Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, from ideation through commercialization, while meeting deadlines and budget constraints. Skilled in working with R&D, marketing, legal, and external brand partners to align on product goals and execution. Deep understanding of consumer and culinary trends, with the ability to apply insights to product innovation. Excellent written and verbal communication for presenting ideas, leading tastings, and coordinating with internal and external stakeholders. Ability to interpret sensory data, market research, and performance metrics to guide product decisions. Bachelor's degree in Food Science. Additional degree or certification in Culinary Science (e.g., RCA) is a plus. 7 years in culinary development and food product innovation, preferably within a CPG company or foodservice brand; experience with licensed products is highly desirable. Certified Culinary Scientist Familiarity with food manufacturing processes, commercial culinary equipment and appliances, ingredient functionality, regulatory requirements, and packaging considerations. Experience with PLM systems, Microsoft Office Suite, and culinary development tools (e.g., recipe management software). External culinary collaboration Note that this role is on-site, due to significant laboratory, test-kitchen and pilot-plant work. Education: Bachelor's or University Degree (Required) Master's Degree (Preferred) Work Experience: At least 7 Years of Experience Benefits: Complete insurance package on Day-1 that includes a plethora of health and wellness programs Health, Dental, and Vision insurance Health savings account Flexible spending account Life and accident insurance Employee assistance program Telehealth services Fertility benefits Transgender benefits 1:1 health coaching and more 401(k) with up to 6% Company matching; additional potential discretionary match at year-end Short-Term Incentive/Performance bonuses Flexible scheduling options Vacation pay, up to three weeks of time (pro-rated for your first year of employment) Holiday pay for 12 holidays Career development and growth opportunities Tuition/Education assistance programs Access to LinkedIn Learning Scholarship programs for children of employees Parental leave Bright Horizons Family Solutions – Back-up care, tutoring, etc. Adoption assistance Bereavement leave Up to $300 fitness reimbursement Up to $300 massage reimbursement Employee appreciation events Employee discounts Charitable giving Who We Are: You might have our iconic cranberry juice in your fridge or have gotten into heated holiday debate about what’s better - canned or fresh cranberry sauce. But did you know that the hardworking people growing the superfruit in our products are 700 family farmers that own our cooperative? They entrust us with what is most precious to them to create new and innovative products that will delight consumers and grow this beloved brand today and into the future. Team members, farmers, consumers and communities alike--we value what makes us unique and strive to connect our farms to families for a better life by living our values: Grower Mindset – We embrace our grower-owners innovative spirit and heritage through confidence, learning and focus on the future. Sustainable Results – Guided by purpose, we are focused on delivering results for our grower-owners. Integrity Above All – We are ethical, doing the right thing for our grower-owners, customers, consumers and each other Inclusive Teamwork – We build diverse and inclusive teams that strengthen our cooperative. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status. Did you know that the hardworking people growing the superfruit in our products are 700 family farmers that own our cooperative? They entrust us with what is most precious to them to create new and innovative products that will delight consumers and grow this beloved brand. Today, the cooperative's cranberries are currently featured in more than a thousand great-tasting, good-for-you products in over 100 countries worldwide. The innovative, entrepreneurial spirit of our founders remains rooted in our cooperative's culture, and most of all, our purpose of connecting our farms to families for a better life. Please share with us some basic information, so that we may follow up with you regarding opportunities to grow your career at Ocean Spray!