Executive Searches
Head of Research & Development
Prepared Foods Manufacturer
Position Summary
The Head of Research & Development will lead end-to-end innovation and commercialization for a portfolio of consumer-branded prepared foods sold through both retail and foodservice channels. This highly visible executive will oversee Culinary Innovation, R&D and Product Specifications & Labeling, guiding the full product lifecycle from concept creation and benchtop prototyping through scale-up, plant validation and commercial launch.
Partnering closely with Operations, Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance and Food Safety, this leader will translate culinary and consumer insights into differentiated, scalable products that drive strong commercial results. The role also provides leadership across process design, technical feasibility and stage-gate governance to ensure products are developed efficiently and successfully manufactured at scale.
The ideal candidate will bring 15+ years of progressive R&D leadership experience, including a strong track record of team development and deep technical expertise within food manufacturing. The successful leader will have demonstrated success delivering consumer-driven innovation from concept through commercialization while achieving cost, yield and margin objectives. Additionally, this individual will bring strong cross-functional leadership, regulatory knowledge and the ability to build and lead high-performing Culinary and R&D teams in a fast-paced environment.
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