Archer Meat Snacks · 4 hours ago
R&D Manager
Vernon, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Mid, Senior Level
$110K/yr - $130K/yr
5+ years expArcher Meat Snacks is the fastest growing jerky brand in the Natural and Specialty channel, seeking an R&D Manager to lead the technical development and commercialization of its USDA regulated meat snack portfolio. The role involves managing the end-to-end lifecycle of products, from prototype development to first production execution, while collaborating with various departments to ensure successful commercialization.
Food and BeverageFood ProcessingManufacturing
Responsibilities
Lead development of new SKUs from concept through launch
Conduct bench-top prototyping to optimize flavor, texture, nutritional profile, shelf stability, and process feasibility
Translate prototypes into formulas, ingredient listings, specifications, and processing parameters
Evaluate new ingredients and processing methods relevant to meat snacks
Drive cost, quality, and performance optimization of existing SKUs without sacrificing brand standards
Plan and execute pilot runs, line trials, and first production within USDA manufacturing environments
Perform technical scale-up activities to ensure products can be manufactured consistently at commercial throughput
Serve as the technical point of contact with co-packers during scale up, troubleshooting, and first production
Ensure documentation is accurate and complete to support repeatable commercial execution
Support ongoing production through process troubleshooting and continuous improvement projects
Build technical relationships with co-manufacturers and ingredient suppliers
Travel to production facilities for line trials, audits, and first production runs
Qualification
Required
5 or more years of experience in meat snack product development, meat science, or USDA regulated food manufacturing
Bachelor's degree in Meat Science, Food Science, or related field (advanced degree preferred)
Strong understanding of USDA regulatory compliance, HACCP, HARPC, GMPs, and meat processing requirements
Experience developing formulas, conducting sensory studies, and managing commercialization cycles
Prior success working with co-packers or external manufacturing partners
Ability to operate in both strategic and hands-on environments
Strong documentation, project management, and cross-functional communication skills
Comfortable traveling for pilots, audits, and first production runs
Preferred
advanced degree preferred
Benefits
Competitive compensation
PTO
100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance
Company
Archer Meat Snacks
At Archer, we make no-brainer, no-compromise, deliciously satisfying meat snacks for anyone and any moment.
51-200 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Archer Meat Snacks has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (6)
2024 (6)
2023 (3)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$22MKey Investors
Monogram Capital Partners
2020-02-11Series C· $12M
2018-09-17Series B· $10M
2017-07-21Series B
Leadership Team
Eugene Kang
CEO & Founder
Recent News
2024-05-05
Company data provided by crunchbase