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Pressed Juicery · 7 hours ago

Senior Research Development Manager

Culver City, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level

$115K/yr - $145K/yr

7+ years exp

Pressed Juicery is a modern wellness brand focused on empowering wellness journeys. They are seeking a Senior Manager, Research & Development to lead the development of clean-label products, translating consumer insights and brand strategy into scalable innovations within their R&D lab.

DeliveryFood and BeverageLocal

No H1B

Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end execution of new products and product improvements, from concept development through scale-up and launch

Formulate and iterate formulations using the R&D lab, ensuring flavor, functionality, nutrition, and manufacturability align with Pressed standards

Translate brand briefs and consumer insights into feasible, scalable product concepts and prototypes

Apply creative and innovative problem-solving within technical, regulatory, and operational constraints

Explore and evaluate innovative ingredients, formats, and product trends relevant to beverage, juice, frozen, and ice cream categories

Partner with suppliers and internal teams to assess technical feasibility, sensory impact, scalability, and clean-label fit of emerging ingredients and concepts

Maintain strong awareness of ingredient, flavor, functional wellness, and broader CPG category trends

Oversee and manage daily operations of the R&D lab, including workflow prioritization, equipment use, safety protocols, sanitation, and ingredient inventory

Lead benchtop trials, sensory evaluations, stability testing, and shelf-life assessments

Ensure lab work reflects production realities and supports repeatable, scalable execution

Document formulations, processing parameters, and technical specifications with precision and consistency

Partner collaboratively with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing to scale recipes from lab to pilot to full production

Provide hands-on R&D support during pilot runs, line trials, and early productions at internal manufacturing facilities and co-manufacturing partners

Support process validation and technical troubleshooting as needed

Balance product integrity with cost, sourcing feasibility, food safety, and operational efficiency

Collaborate cross-functionally with Marketing, Retail, Wholesale, QA, Operations, and Supply Chain on pipeline planning, consumer testing, concept prioritization, and execution alignment

Present prototypes, learnings, and recommendations to leadership, including senior stakeholders

Support renovation initiatives to improve taste, nutrition, quality, and margin across the existing portfolio

Ensure QA-ready, execution-ready documentation prior to scale-up

Capture learnings from lab work and trials and incorporate them into ongoing development

Review and verify supplier and ingredient documentation, including specifications, technical data sheets, allergen statements, and related compliance materials, in partnership with QA and Supply Chain

Qualification

Food ScienceProduct DevelopmentFormulation ExpertiseIngredient FunctionalitySensory TestingDocumentation SkillsCollaboration SkillsCommunication SkillsProject Management

Required

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, or related discipline (Master's a plus)

7+ years of hands-on research & development or product development experience in food & beverage, with demonstrated experience taking products from lab to manufacturing

Strong hands-on formulation and bench-development expertise

Experience scaling products from lab to manufacturing environments, supporting/executing pilot runs, line trials, and early-stage production

Solid understanding of ingredient functionality, food safety, shelf-life and sensory testing

Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment

Excellent documentation, communication, and collaboration skills

Must be able to work on site in our Culver City, CA office

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction