Project Manager, R&D

Location: Fort Worth, TX

Exemption: Exempt

OUR COMPANY:

Ventura Foods is a leading global manufacturer of branded and custom food products that proudly helps food providers in the U.S., Canada and more than 60 other countries earn a special place on consumers’ tables. We do this by continually crafting custom dressings, sauces, mayonnaises, and other food solutions that exceed peoples’ expectations for great-tasting flavors and high-quality ingredients.

Headquartered in Brea, California, Ventura Foods operates 14 manufacturing facilities, 3 culinary centers, and numerous distribution centers across North America. When you work in our manufacturing and distribution facilities, you get a strong foundation of training, a manager who cares about you and celebrates your success, a safe environment, and challenging work. As part of our team, your future is limited only by how much you’re willing to push yourself to get there. We invest in your growth, because you invest in ours.

About the Job:

The job involves working collaboratively with Ventura’s Culinary, R&D, Sales, Marketing, Insights, Operations and Quality staff and our customers to develop on-trend food products within our core technology areas from benchtop through plant production that help our customers delight their customers. It also involves the development and execution of development-focused research projects to support the growth of our business. Finally, an interest in people leadership.

The Right Candidate:

This person exhibits humility by being self-confident and proposing and implementing solutions to complex technical and creative challenges while being open to other points of view. The candidate is hungry, meaning they are self-motivated and diligent with a passion for their work. Finally, this candidate is an interpersonally appropriate and aware individual.

Experience in the development of salad dressings, sauces, mayonnaise, margarines, shortenings and spreads for the fast-paced foodservice market along with some back-of-house food preparation experience is a plus.

• Responsible for formula, processing procedure and specification creation, revision, evaluation and validation prior to manufacturing packet distribution to the plants. Design formula to meet customer specifications and requirements. Utilize nutrition database for product development, recipe analysis, nutrition analysis and government compliant labeling. Responsible for leading minor and major projects from concept to commercialization. Adhering to all safe practices and GMP's for the tests being performed.
• Responsible for overall project tracking, proactive communication to sales, marketing, operations, senior technical services staff, and customers. Capable of prioritizing work and communicating to supervisor and others in a timely manner.
• Without supervisor approval necessary, design, participate in the coordination, monitoring, testing, and reporting shelf life stability testing activities and report out conclusions to appropriate business partners. Act on conclusions as required.
• Execute test pilot plant and production runs without supervision, showing full understanding of equipment capabilities and working cross-functionally with operations and quality staff. Provides timely communication of test run reports, including assignment of action items.
• Recommends and/or initiates projects within existing programs and/or business channels. Identifies new hypotheses/technology and designs and conducts research program to verify validity. May recommend patent action.
• Design, execute, document and communicate results of development-focused research projects and continuous improvement projects to appropriate business partners.
• Trains and may supervise others as appropriate.
• May represent Vice President or Director as required at meetings or industry events. May interview and recommend hiring of technical personnel.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science or related field, Biology, Chemistry or equivalent experience and 10+ years food laboratory experience required
• Experience in a food manufacturing or processing environment
• Travel: no more than 15% (domestic)

• Must have general understanding of food codes and regulatory guidelines and the ability to research regulatory matters as needed
• Must be able to manage projects from bench to commercialization
• Must possess a basic understanding and knowledge of ingredient interactions
• Must have basic knowledge in one or more technical disciplines
• Must possess organization, project management and effective written and verbal communication skills are required.
• Must have knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Must have knowledge of lab and pilot processing equipment.
• An understanding of emulsion technology, dry blend technology, flavor development, and the basic science of process technology

Ventura Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.