Director/ Sr. Director Food Science & Product Development
Nobell Foods is creating cheese and other dairy products from plant-derived dairy proteins for the 99% of people who are unwilling to compromise on taste and price. Nobell is made up of a team of passionate scientists, explorers, and storytellers on a mission to radically change the way we make food, so it’s better for you, the animals and the planet. We are backed by Bill Gates’ climate fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and Robert Downey Jr. If you believe in our mission and are excited about our work, we would love to hear from you!
We are seeking a game-changer, a pioneer, a fearless-rebel of sorts to lead our Food Science and Product Development efforts that will fundamentally change the world of plant based foods. You will partner with an extraordinary cross-functional team and build a best-in-class team of food science innovators, as you blaze new paths in product development, amplify our efforts through improvements to product development life cycle, and apply ingenuity in selecting and evaluating approaches to innovate.
The role:
As the Director or Senior Director of Foods Science & Product Development, you have an exciting opportunity to build and lead our food science and product development team charged with developing and commercializing first of its kind animal-free products. You will work closely with our R&D, marketing, quality, process technology, packaging engineering, project management, the operations teams and third party support as product concepts move product from concept to shelf. This role reports to the COO. A successful candidate can dig deep into the science of product formulation, perform structured experimental design, develop products from the bench to pilot to manufacturing and communicate at all levels.
How you’ll partner with other teams:
At Nobell we believe that we are better together, a great idea can come from anywhere and a fantastic idea can only come into fruition if we all bring it forward together! With this in mind you will be at the center of our efforts working closely with marketing, plant biology, operations, process engineering, quality, and finance. You will report to the Chief Operations Officer and have responsibility for building a dynamic team of trailblazers that will scale as the company grows!
Who you are:
You love to dig deep into the science of product formulation, perform structured experimental design, develop products from the bench to pilot through full commercial launch, lead high-performance teams, and openly communicate at all levels. Even though you like your quiet time at the bench most, a stage gate process doesn’t deter you, it helps you lead with a road map to success. You were born to problem solve and you love to help others understand how you did it!
Expected Outcome(s):
Use plant-grown casein ingredients to formulate and develop a range of animal-free cheese types including but not limited to mozzarella, cheddar, american, parmesan and cream cheese
Match consumer standard retail quality cheese flavors, textures and physical properties
Set measurable Nobell product quality standards for each cheese type
Build partnerships with our supplier base to bring industry changing innovation to the market
Support Nobell Quality with shelf stability testing and determining best if used by dates
Lead the product effort through the full lifecycle from bench to pilot to full commercialization for a wide range of animal-free cheese products
Partner closely with Nobell cross-functional teams to support not only the innovation pipeline, but operational excellence.
Responsibilities
Prioritize development work and requests to best serve the needs of the business.
Lead the building, development and coaching of the Product R&D team. Leadership is as important as technical acumen.
Motivate, develop, attract, and retain a diverse team of Food Scientists.
Able to support pilot testing, start-ups, and troubleshooting field operations to resolve manufacturing issues.
Implement and advance testing and basic research for new products and improvement of existing products.
Accountable for the development of comprehensive SOPs, formulation spreadsheets, onsite inventories, traceability and tracking logs, etc.
Coordinate with R&D team and key cross-functional teams to ensure timely decision-making in cases of deviations from standards and procedures
Support, implement and maintain technical documentation of all phases of research and development.
Manage the effective implementation of new support systems or upgrades, including appropriate training for end-users
Manage product stability and shelf life testing
Have a firm understanding of GMP, SQF and FDA regulations for each product platform
Lead key projects with research and development to support business goals
Orchestrate the timely completion of all program steps, driving excellence in execution through leadership, commitment, and stakeholder management, accountable for on-time, on-budget delivery.
Maintain ongoing awareness and knowledge of R&D priorities and goals to ensure a proactive approach to application choices and development
Able to strategically build a pipeline or products with a cross functional team.
Lead coordination of resource allocation with teams
Lead product development initiatives in stage gate process
Conduct consumer sensory panels to gain insights and improve product qualities
Other duties as assigned
Required Skills and Experience:
Master’s degree or higher in food science, a related engineering field (or equivalent)
Track record of new product launch success5+ years of leadership experience
Research and development or engineering experience in a CPG setting.
Proven track record in accomplishing significant and impactful business results.
Demonstrated high level of leadership, relationship management, and communication skills; ability to work effectively with internal and external teams
Broad and deep understanding of food science, processing technology and a variety of technical platforms
Ability to be a technical and strategic thought leader as well as a hands-on implementer
Must be detail oriented with superior organizational skills
Must be able to multi-task and produce results
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with coworkers and leadership
Familiarity with FDA, USDA and OSHA regulations
Full-time; Location: South San Francisco
Nobell Foods offers competitive compensation, generous healthcare, dental and vision plans, 401K and commuter benefits.
