Senior Research & Development Manager

Job Title

Senior Research & Development Manager 

Work Schedule

Typically, Monday–Friday, approximately 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.; evenings, weekends, plant trials, and other times as business needs require.

Reports To

Research & Development Director

Job Description

The Senior Research & Development Manager – Ice Cream leads hands-on product development, renovation, and commercialization for the company’s ice cream and frozen dessert portfolio. This role converts consumer, customer, and business opportunities into technically feasible, high-quality, safe, and cost-effective products. The Senior Manager owns projects from benchtop concept through plant scale-up and launch, provides technical leadership to cross-functional teams, and develops R&D team capability. The role partners closely with Marketing, Sales, Quality Assurance, Operations, Procurement, Finance, suppliers, and co-manufacturers to deliver the innovation pipeline and improve existing products.

Job Details (Key Responsibilities)

• Lead multiple ice cream and frozen dessert innovation and renovation projects from concept through commercialization, including formufrolation, prototype development, sensory evaluation, pilot trials, plant trials, launch support, and post-launch review.

• Develop and optimize dairy and non-dairy frozen dessert systems, including mix composition, stabilizer/emulsifier systems, overrun, freezing performance, inclusions, variegates, coatings, flavor delivery, texture, melt behavior, and shelf-life.

• Translate consumer insights, customer needs, and brand strategy into clear technical briefs, project plans, success criteria, timelines, risks, and resource requirements.

• Plan and execute experiments using sound scientific methods and data analysis; document conclusions and recommend next steps to accelerate decision-making and time-to-market.

• Lead scale-up and commercialization with Operations and Quality, defining critical process parameters and resolving challenges involving mixing, pasteurization, homogenization, aging, freezing, filling, hardening, packaging, and cold-chain performance.

• Drive renovation work to improve taste, texture, nutrition, ingredient availability, process reliability, quality, and cost while protecting consumer acceptance and regulatory compliance.

• Partner with Quality Assurance and Regulatory to ensure formulas, ingredients, allergens, claims, nutrition information, labels, specifications, food safety controls, shelf-life protocols, and records meet applicable requirements and company standards.

• Build effective relationships with ingredient, flavor, packaging, equipment, and co-manufacturing partners; lead technical evaluations, trials, issue resolution, and qualification support.

• Maintain accurate formulas, bills of materials, product and ingredient specifications, process instructions, trial reports, samples, and project records within approved systems.

• Lead sensory and product-evaluation activities across R&D, Quality, Operations, Marketing, and Sales to establish product targets and maintain quality through commercialization.

• Mentor food scientists, technologists, and other technical contributors; set priorities, review work quality, provide coaching, and foster creativity, accountability, safety, and continuous improvement.

• Manage project spending and assigned R&D resources; monitor key measures such as project milestones, time-to-market, first-pass trial success, cost savings, product quality, and launch performance.

Skills

• Advanced knowledge of ice cream and frozen dessert formulation, dairy and/or plant-based ingredients, food chemistry, microbiology, rheology, freezing behavior, and manufacturing processes.

• Demonstrated success taking products from benchtop through commercial manufacturing in a food processing environment.

• Working knowledge of ingredient functionality, stabilizers, emulsifiers, sweetener and fat systems, flavors, inclusions, coatings, allergens, packaging, and cold-chain considerations.

• Ability to design experiments, interpret sensory and analytical data, troubleshoot complex product/process interactions, and make sound technical recommendations.

• Working knowledge of FDA requirements, labeling, FSMA principles, GMPs, HACCP or preventive controls, nutritional standards, and food safety expectations.

• Strong project management, technical writing, specification management, presentation, budget awareness, and COGS understanding.

• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and applicable formulation, specification, project, and data-analysis systems.

Qualities Required – Soft Skills

• Hands-on, curious, and solutions-oriented leader who balances scientific rigor with speed and commercial practicality.

• Strong cross-functional leadership and influence skills, with the ability to align teams without relying solely on formal authority.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills for technical and non-technical audiences.

• Highly organized and able to prioritize multiple projects, manage ambiguity, anticipate risk, and meet commitments.

• Consistently demonstrates accuracy, professionalism, dependability, sound judgment, and a commitment to safety and product quality.

• Willingness to work in laboratory, pilot plant, manufacturing, freezer, and office environments and to adjust hours for trials or launches.

Experience Required

5+ years of progressive R&D/product development experience in the CPG food industry, including at least 3 years of direct experience with ice cream, frozen desserts, dairy, plant-based frozen products, or frozen novelties. Prior project leadership and team coaching or people-management experience required.

Educational Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field required; master’s degree preferred.

Work Location (Where work is performed)

625 S. 27th Ave., Suite 100, Phoenix, AZ 85009

101 N. 1st Ave., Suite 1725, Phoenix, AZ 85003 (Corporate)

Dress Code

Business casual. Lab coat, personal protective equipment, or manufacturing uniform is required when working in laboratory or production areas. Professional office attire may be required on occasion.

Environment

Manufacturing plant, laboratory/pilot environment, freezer and refrigerated areas, and corporate office. May require standing during trials, handling samples and ingredients, and following all safety and GMP requirements.

Testing – Drug/Alcohol

All candidates must be willing to submit to pre-employment drug and alcohol screening, consistent with applicable law and company policy.

Testing – Background Check

Background check will be completed. Authorization will be required at the time of offer, consistent with applicable law and company policy.

Benefits

• 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums for the employee and their family.

• 120 hours of paid vacation annually.

• 40 hours / 5 sick or personal days annually, in accordance with Arizona law and company policy.

• 401(k) plan with Safe Harbor employer matching contribution.

Pay Rate

Competitive and commensurate with experience