CareersInFood.com · 1 day ago
Research And Development Manager
Tampa, FL
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level
5+ years expVigo Importing Company is a Tampa-based leader in the food importing and distribution industry since 1947, seeking a Food Scientist / R&D Manager. The role involves leading product formulation and innovation for shelf-stable food products while ensuring compliance and safety in partnership with Quality Assurance.
Human ResourcesManufacturing
Hiring Manager
Andi Thornbury
Responsibilities
Lead formulation and reformulation of shelf-stable food products to meet sensory, functional, cost, and shelf-life objectives
Evaluate opportunities to simplify ingredient statements, improve label friendliness, and modernize formulations without compromising performance
Support the company’s innovation pipeline by translating marketing and consumer insights into technically viable products
Own bench-top development, pilot trials, and scale-up to commercial production
Work with QA to assess food safety implications and confirm formulations align with approved limits and documentation requirements
Develop internally defined, fit-for-use ingredient specifications based on functional performance, process behavior, and product requirements (COA requirements)
Establish acceptable ranges and tolerances that balance performance, quality consistency, and supply flexibility
Define approved ingredient alternatives and functional equivalency criteria to support sourcing flexibility and cost-down initiatives
Work with QA to incorporate food safety parameters, allergen status, COA requirements, and formal approval into controlled specification documents
Define product-level technical targets (pH, water activity, viscosity, texture, sensory benchmarks, stability expectations, etc.)
Support shelf-life strategy through formulation decisions and ingredient selection
Troubleshoot formulation-driven performance or consistency issues across production and co-manufacturers
Work with QA to ensure product specs are measurable, defensible, and aligned with safety and compliance standards
Lead technical transfer from development to production at internal facilities and co-manufacturers
Support process optimization related to formulation, ingredient handling, and processing conditions
Investigate and resolve formulation-driven production issues
Partner closely with Sales/ Marketing to evaluate the feasibility of new product concepts
Support innovation briefs with technical input
Align formulation capabilities with consumer and category trends
Provide technical input to Procurement on ingredient sourcing, supplier changes, and reformulation opportunities
Serve as the internal subject-matter expert on ingredient functionality and processing behavior
Act as the technical interface with ingredient suppliers, co-manufacturers, and external laboratories
Support the Customer Service department with addressing inquiries related to technical product attributes
Assist with providing technical data sheets and COAs for commercial customers
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, or related discipline
5–10+ years of hands-on food formulation and commercialization experience
Experience with shelf-stable food systems (sauces, condiments, dry blends, acidified foods, or similar)
Strong understanding of ingredient functionality, processing impacts, and scale-up
Familiarity with consumer and ingredient trends in the food industry
Ability to work cross-functionally in a fast-moving, collaborative environment
Preferred
Master's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, or related discipline
HACCP training or certification
Benefits
Health Insurance
PTO
Profit Sharing
Bonuses
Competitive Salary
Company
CareersInFood.com
CareersInFood is the largest & most comprehensive niche job board in North America dedicated to the Food & Beverage Manufacturing community.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageCompany data provided by crunchbase