Job Overview

As R&D Manager, Product Innovation, you will lead KiZE's recipe and formulation development, a core function supporting our innovation pipeline and quality standards. You'll develop original formulations for new product lines, refine and standardize our existing recipes, and ensure every product that carries the KiZE name meets our quality and taste standards. You'll also support formulation work for private label and custom partnership opportunities.

You will work cross-functionally with Marketing, Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, and Quality/Food Safety teams to take formulations from concept through scaled production. This is a hands-on role for a food scientist or product developer who thrives in a fast-moving, resource-lean environment and wants to build something from the ground up.

Duties

• Develop new, commercially viable recipes for KiZE's next generation of bars, snacks, and adjacent product lines
• Standardize and refine existing recipes to improve consistency, shelf life, and quality across our current portfolio
• Translate innovation briefs into scalable, production-ready formulations
• Partner with Commercialization and Operations to scale formulations from bench-top to full production runs
• Support formulation development for branded, private label and custom co-man partnerships, working closely with the sales team to meet customer specifications
• Manage multiple concurrent development projects, balancing speed to market with rigor and quality
• Help lay the foundation for a growing innovation function as KiZE scales, including exploring new formats and ingredient platforms

Experience

• Minimum 5-8 years of experience in food product development or R&D within CPG or food manufacturing
• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Culinary Science, or related field strongly preferred
• Strong track record developing commercially viable, scalable formulations for shelf-stable snacks, bars, or similar better-for-you products
• Working knowledge of food safety, quality, and regulatory considerations in formulation development
• Experience partnering with operations and commercialization teams to scale recipes from bench to production
• Agility and self-motivation, with the ability to juggle multiple projects in a fast-moving, startup-like environment
• Highly collaborative working style with strong cross-functional communication skills

Pay: $55,000.00 - $88,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person