What are the responsibilities and job description for the Sr. Manager, Research & Development position at Kinder's Premium Quality Seasonings & Sauces?
BUILT ON FLAVOR. FUELED BY PEOPLE.
What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? Well, there’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there’s also plenty of hard work. Because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it.
With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.
As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.
What We Are Looking For
At Kinder’s, we’re passionate about creating food that brings people together. The Senior Manager, Research & Development will be responsible for leading the development and execution of new and improved products across retail, club, and foodservice channels. This role will drive product formulation, process development, and innovation from concept through commercialization, ensuring every product meets Kinder’s high standards for taste, quality, and scalability.
This is an exciting opportunity to play a hands-on leadership role in a growing, values-driven food brand — partnering cross-functionally to deliver consumer-loved innovation that fuels Kinder’s continued success.
What You'll Be Doing
Lead Product Development
What You Bring to the Table:
Seasoned For Success
We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave. Kinder’s benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.
Our Recipe For Balance
We believe great culture starts with people. We’re a people-first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work-life balance and personal commitments.
Where Every Ingredient Matters
Kinder's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at careers@kinders.com
What’s it like to work at Kinder’s? Well, there’s a lot of snacking and geeking out over what we all cooked over the weekend. Beyond that, there’s also plenty of hard work. Because we don’t just like flavor, we’re obsessed with it.
With over 100 products sold nationwide, we’re now a top-five brand in multiple flavor categories at Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and more. We’re not your typical CPG company. Privately held and founder-led, we like to think of ourselves as a pirate ship in a sea of cruise ships. Our crew is adventurous and fearless. We chart our own course and chase big ideas to make food unforgettable.
As we expand globally and approach $1 billion in revenue, we need more smart-and-scrappy, flavor-obsessed people to come aboard. If you’re looking for a place where you can see the real impact of your work... this is it! Every day, you’ll be part of a journey to add flavor to millions of meals and lives.
What We Are Looking For
At Kinder’s, we’re passionate about creating food that brings people together. The Senior Manager, Research & Development will be responsible for leading the development and execution of new and improved products across retail, club, and foodservice channels. This role will drive product formulation, process development, and innovation from concept through commercialization, ensuring every product meets Kinder’s high standards for taste, quality, and scalability.
This is an exciting opportunity to play a hands-on leadership role in a growing, values-driven food brand — partnering cross-functionally to deliver consumer-loved innovation that fuels Kinder’s continued success.
What You'll Be Doing
Lead Product Development
- Manage the end-to-end product development process — from concept ideation to launch — ensuring alignment with brand priorities, timelines, and cost objectives.
- Identify and execute opportunities for innovation, renovation, and cost optimization across Kinder’s portfolio, leveraging emerging ingredients, technologies, and process improvements.
- Partner closely with Operations, Marketing, Culinary, and Supply Chain to translate consumer insights into technically feasible, scalable, and commercially viable products.
- Lead formulation work, pilot plant trials, and production scale-ups to ensure robust transfer from bench to manufacturing.
- Troubleshoot issues and optimize for quality and consistency.
- Manage multiple projects concurrently, ensuring milestones, deliverables, and communication are clear and on track.
- Maintain visibility to leadership through status updates and documentation.
- Collaborate with Quality Assurance and Regulatory teams to ensure product compliance with ingredient standards, labeling requirements, and nutritional accuracy.
- Mentor and develop junior food scientists and technicians, fostering a culture of collaboration, curiosity, and accountability within the R&D team.
What You Bring to the Table:
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred).
- 10 years of experience in food product development, with at least 3 years in a people or project leadership role.
- Proven success in CPG innovation; sauces, seasonings, or condiments experience preferred.
- Strong technical knowledge of formulation, ingredient functionality, sensory evaluation, and scale-up.
- Excellent project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
- Effective communicator and collaborator across multiple functions and levels.
- Passion for great food and consumer-driven innovation.
- MUST BE ABLE TO TRAVEL UP TO 25%
- Results-oriented, hands-on leader who thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
- Collaborative and influential communicator who builds trust across teams.
- Curious, resourceful, and solution-oriented with strong attention to detail.
- Committed to quality, integrity, and continuous improvement.
- No two days here are the same.
- We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don’t live by hierarchy and structure – everyone is a difference maker here.
- We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information – our team embrace ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
- We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
- We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
- We aren’t trying to be average – we want to do exceptional things and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.
Seasoned For Success
- No two days here are the same.
- We try to be good team members and good communicators, but we don’t live by hierarchy and structure – everyone is a difference maker here.
- We make a lot of decisions in the face of incomplete information – our team embraces ambiguity and tries to make good decisions fast rather than great decisions slow.
- We believe our job is to take smart risk, not to eliminate risk.
- We believe in growing our skills and becoming a better company with more managerial expertise, but we are an entrepreneurial company at heart.
- We aren’t trying to be average – we want to do exceptional things, and we are willing to work hard to achieve them.
We offer a range of total rewards that may include paid time off, 401k, bonus / incentive eligibility, equity grants, competitive health benefits, and other family-friendly benefits, including parental leave. Kinder’s benefits vary based on eligibility and can be reviewed in more detail during the interview process.
Our Recipe For Balance
We believe great culture starts with people. We’re a people-first company built on connection, collaboration, and balance. Most of our work happens in the office to spark creativity and community, but we also offer flexibility so team members have the autonomy to work outside the office when needed to support their work-life balance and personal commitments.
Where Every Ingredient Matters
Kinder's is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, citizenship, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, veteran status, as well as any other legally-protected characteristic. If you have a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar law, and you need any accommodation during the application process or to perform these job requirements, please reach out to us at careers@kinders.com
Salary : $150,000 - $165,000