Sr. Manager, Research & Development

Application Deadline: 2 January 2026

Department: Research & Development

Location: Charlotte

Description

Job Summary

The Sr. Manager, Research and Development (R&D) will play a pivotal role in building our Innovation Team and leading the creation and design of Truly Good Foods’ new Innovation & R&D Lab. This includes shaping the lab’s technical capabilities, equipment strategy, and workflow design to support rapid product development and advanced food research.

In addition to establishing and refining our innovation and commercialization processes, this role will champion cross-functional collaboration to accelerate project execution and strengthen organizational alignment. The Sr. Manager will lead the development, optimization, and scale-up of new and existing manufactured snack products across our portfolio, ensuring they meet consumer expectations, operational feasibility, and business goals.

This role will partner closely with Operations, Quality Assurance, Sales, and Marketing to translate consumer-centric insights into commercially viable products, guiding them from concept through plant trials, commercialization, and successful market launch.

Key Responsibilities

Essential Job Duties

Product Development & Innovation (Concept to Launch)

• Lead the end-to-end development of new manufactured snack products, from benchtop formulation through scale-up and final commercialization.
• Build, refine, and own TGF’s New Product Development stage-gate process.
• Translate consumer insights, category trends, and customer feedback into innovative product concepts.
• Develop formulations that meet sensory, nutritional, regulatory, and shelf-life requirements.

Technical Execution

• Lead benchtop tests, pilot runs, and full-scale production trials.
• Evaluate ingredient functionality, run shelf-life studies, and conduct sensory evaluations.
• Partner with Supply Chain and Purchasing to source new functional ingredients and qualify suppliers.
• Ensure product feasibility and cost alignment with manufacturing capabilities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Operations, QA, Purchasing, and Supply Chain to ensure seamless commercialization.
• Support QA with technical documentation (specs, allergen/HACCP review, process validation, etc.).
• Provide technical insights to Sales & Marketing for customer presentations, sampling events, and trade shows.
• Serve as a technical subject matter expert across the organization.

Documentation, Compliance & Recordkeeping

• Maintain detailed project documentation, formulations, trial notes, and specifications.
• Ensure regulatory and label compliance (FDA, FSMA, and other required standards).
• Stay current on emerging ingredient technologies, snacking trends, and regulatory updates.
  

Scope of Responsibility

This position is responsible for leading the full lifecycle of new product development for Truly Good Foods manufactured snack portfolio. This role owns the creation, optimization, and commercialization of new products, while also building and improving the innovation processes that support long-term growth. The position requires deep technical expertise in food formulation, hands-on execution from benchtop through plant scale-up, and strong cross-functional leadership across Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Sales, and Marketing.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Knowledge Requirements

• Food Science Expertise: Deep understanding of food chemistry, ingredient functionality, and formulation principles applicable to roasted, baked, coated, or extruded snack products.
• Processing & Manufacturing: Strong working knowledge of snack manufacturing processes including roasting, seasoning application, enrobing/coating, baking, and related equipment capabilities.
• Scale-Up & Commercialization: Proven experience translating benchtop formulations into commercially viable processes; familiarity with pilot plant operations, process parameters, and scale-up challenges.
• Sensory Science: Proficiency in sensory evaluation techniques, shelf-life testing, product benchmarking, and consumer preference analysis.
• Food Safety & Regulatory: Strong grasp of FDA regulations, FSMA, allergen management, HACCP principles, labeling requirements, and GFSI-aligned quality systems.
• Ingredient Technology: Understanding emerging ingredients, functional additives, flavor systems, stabilizers, and nutritional enhancement components relevant to modern snacking trends.
• Documentation & Specification Systems: Ability to create and manage detailed technical specifications, formulation records, process instructions, and change controls.
  

Skill Requirements

• Product Development & Innovation Skills
  • Strong concept development and ideation abilities, driven by consumer insights and category trends.
  • Ability to design experiments, conduct trials, interpret results, and make data-driven recommendations.
  • Skilled in optimizing cost structures while maintaining product quality and performance.
• Project Management Skills:
  • Ability to manage multiple concurrent projects within an NPD stage-gate framework
  • Skilled in developing timelines, identifying risks, managing cross-functional dependencies, and driving accountability.
  • Strong organizational and documentation skills for tracking progress, decisions, and technical data.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration Skills
  • Ability to work effectively with Operations, QA, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Sales, and Marketing.
  • Comfortable presenting technical information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Influencing skills that support alignment, decision-making, and collaborative problem-solving.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills
  • Ability to diagnose formulation or process issues quickly and develop practical solutions.
  • Strong analytical mindset with comfort interpreting trial data, sensory feedback, and production insights.
  • Proficiency in root-cause analysis and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Communication & Leadership Skills
  • Clear written and verbal communication, especially in explaining technical concepts simply.
  • Ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and contribute to organizational strategy.
  • Skilled at preparing technical presentations, customer-facing decks, and internal documentation.
    

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in food science, Food Engineering, Nutrition, or related field.
• 7+ years of hands-on experience in product development within snacks, bakery, nuts, or broader CPG.
• Strong understanding of food chemistry, ingredient interactions, and formulation for roasted, baked, coated, or extruded snack products.
• Demonstrated experience leading commercialization from lab to manufacturing floor.
• Strong project management, sensory evaluation, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication abilities and comfort presenting to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Passion for innovative, health-conscious snacking and wellness trends.
• Startup-minded mentality with agility to move quickly and prioritize effectively.
• Experience building or improving stage-gate or innovation processes.
• Curiosity around new ingredients, functionality, and emerging snacking technologies.

Physical Demands

Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. While performing job duties, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands, reach, talk, and hear.

Work Environment

Work performed in both office and warehouse settings, with regular travel between assigned locations. The noise level ranges from moderate to high depending on the facility.

Travel Required

Minimal travel.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job duties.

Benefits

• Affordable healthcare (medical/dental/vision)
• Opportunity to participate in the Health Savings Account (HSA), Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) and Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Short Term Disability Insurance paid by the company
• Basic life Insurance equals to your annual salary paid by the company
• Employee Assistance Program, paid by the company
• Long Term Disability Insurance
• The opportunity to purchase additional voluntary insurance coverage for:
• Life Insurance
• Accident
• Whole Life
• Prepaid Legal
• PTO (Paid Time Off)
• 9 Paid Holidays per year
• 401-k Plan (eligible after 6 months of employment)