Food Product Development Manager

FUTURE DIFFERENCE MAKERS WANTED!

CuliNEX is dedicated to continuous learning and exceeding our clients’ business goals by developing delicious, clean label foods that create a better planet, healthier people and happier communities. We continue to grow. And while we continue to add like-minded people and passionate food professionals to our team, we never forget our roots. We’re a group of friends who think of our place more as a boutique than your typical office.

Are you Hungry, Humble and Smart? If so, then CuliNEX may be the place for you! These are the core requirements for every employee at our company. If you are looking to accelerate your career in culinary innovation and food product development, let’s start the conversation today.

Our Company

Since 2005, CuliNEX has been the industry’s premier consulting firm providing product development & strategic business services focused on clean label food products. While maintaining our commitment to continuous learning, we exceed our client’s business goals by developing delicious, clean label foods that create a better planet, healthier people and happier communities.

What We Do

We’re passionate about creating great tasting, wholesome food. We specialize in assisting brand owners, food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers and retailers with achieving their growth goals by bringing successful products to market. Our expertise covers a wide variety of food product categories including frozen, refrigerated and shelf stable products, seafood, bakery goods, soups and sauces, dairy products, grains, produce and snack items.

About you

We are seeking a dynamic and friendly teammate who is extremely well organized, loves a good challenge and good people to work with. The ideal candidate will have strong people skills and a willingness to jump in and help in multiple areas without losing sight of priorities. An ability to deliver on tight deadlines while ensuring day to day tasks are managed appropriately. A sense of humor combined with a sense of pride in your work and a commitment to doing your part to enable the team to succeed. Tech savvy, you can work well with Microsoft's full suite of products including Office 365, Teams and SharePoint as well as a wide variety of other software products.

Job Summary and Mission

This job contributes to CuliNex success by ensuring the successful execution and implementation of consulting services contracts to meet project deliverables and client expectations. The responsibilities include management of the Developers on the Development Team, monitoring and balancing labor utilization, execution of project timelines and deliverables, and facilitating education and employee engagement.

The Product Development Manager reports to the Director of R&D, and works closely with Administration, Accounting, and the CEO. Must exhibit CuliNex core competencies and support its core values (see exhibits A and B).

Summary of Key Responsibilities

The Product Development Manager is responsible for overseeing the execution of Food Consulting Services at CuliNex, which include but are not limited to the following service areas; Product Development Services, Product Quality Verification, and Sales & Marketing Support.

Essential job functions include but are not limited to the following:

• R&D Leadership Team
• Participate and contribute to R&D strategy, goal setting, hiring and recruiting efforts.
• Act as communication channel between the Leadership Team and Development Team.
• Foster and maintain company culture, reputation, and clean label leadership in the industry.
• Encourage company efficiency, effectiveness, and employee engagement.
• Accountable for physical kitchen including cleanliness, equipment maintenance, lab supplies
• Oversight of Developers in Development Team
• Direct reporting of Developer’s
• Oversees execution of product development cycle
• Lead weekly meetings with development team
• Provides informal, spontaneous, and deliberate mentorship through ongoing training, guidance, and hands-on training of the development team
• Provides operational and technical leadership to the development team to assure effective product development, planning, resourcing, and prioritization to meet project objectives.
• Manages labor allocation, project assignments, and project workload between team members and contractor resources in coordination with Director of R&D and the People Operations Manager to ensure efficient utilization of resources.
• Determine when contractor resources are necessary to meet technical requirements and/or project timelines in coordination with the Director of R&D and the People Operations Manager.
• Manage contractors in coordination with the Director of R&D and the People Operations Manager.
• Contribute to the weekly Project Manager’s meeting
• Lead the Development of more technically complex or risky projects as assigned by the Director of R&D.

Special Tasks

• Subject Matter Expert (Commercialization, Technical Support)
• Travel to manufacturer facilities for Commercialization support and PQV services
• Contribute to employee on-boarding and continued education and training
• Travel for education, trade shows & conferences for industry networking & marketing as required and approved

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in relevant field (Food Science, Culinary Arts, etc.). Advanced degree a bonus (MSc., MBA, etc.)
• Minimum 10 yrs of food industry product development with an additional 5yrs in a proven supervisory role

Certifications, Licenses & Memberships

Required

• Member of IFT (national & local)
• Member of RCA

Recommended

• Certified Food Scientist (CFS)
• Certified Research Chef (CRC) or Certified Culinary Scientist (CCS)
• Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong supervisory and leadership skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and to delegate them when appropriate.
• Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment.

Physical Work Abilities and Requirements

This position requires walking, typing, and sitting/standing for extended periods.