Truly Good Foods · 3 weeks ago
Senior Manager, Research & Development
Charlotte, NC
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
7+ years expTruly Good Foods is focused on innovation in the food sector, and they are seeking a Senior Manager for their Research and Development team. This role will lead the creation and design of a new Innovation & R&D Lab, overseeing the development and commercialization of new snack products while ensuring cross-functional collaboration and compliance with regulatory standards.
Food and BeverageManufacturingSnack Food
Responsibilities
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
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
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
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
Qualification
Required
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
Deep understanding of food chemistry, ingredient functionality, and formulation principles applicable to roasted, baked, coated, or extruded snack products
Strong working knowledge of snack manufacturing processes including roasting, seasoning application, enrobing/coating, baking, and related equipment capabilities
Proven experience translating benchtop formulations into commercially viable processes; familiarity with pilot plant operations, process parameters, and scale-up challenges
Proficiency in sensory evaluation techniques, shelf-life testing, product benchmarking, and consumer preference analysis
Strong grasp of FDA regulations, FSMA, allergen management, HACCP principles, labeling requirements, and GFSI-aligned quality systems
Understanding emerging ingredients, functional additives, flavor systems, stabilizers, and nutritional enhancement components relevant to modern snacking trends
Ability to create and manage detailed technical specifications, formulation records, process instructions, and change controls
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
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
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
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
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
Ability to occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds
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)
Company
Truly Good Foods
Truly Good Foods is a food and beverage distribution company that manufactures and offers snack mixes, candy, bars, nuts, and dry fruits.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageLeadership Team
Lisa Smith
VP of Sales & Marketing
Eric Leonard
President
Recent News
FoodProcessing.com
2025-09-05
2025-08-29
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