Come join a fast-growing food brand that is revolutionizing what we eat. Ark Foods is a modern-day farming company that creates simple, fresh, and exciting food. From our plant-based veggie bowls and salad bowls, to the specialty vegetables that we grow at our farm locations up and down the East Coast, Ark Foods is rethinking modern agriculture from the ground up.
You can find our products in Whole Foods, Walmart, Costco, and other leading retailers across the USA.
Overview
Ark Foods is seeking an R&D Manager to help craft our next generation of veggie-based products. This role will report to our Director of R&D, and will focus on sauce and dressing development, from bench top all the way through final commercialization.
Key work streams will include:
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Create world-class veggie-based products from ideation to commercialization
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Apply food based innovation and scientific methods to develop delicious and robust product formulas that follow brand guidelines, and allow for market scalability
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Work together with Marketing and Sales teams to help prioritize product development recommendations based on new product trends and market opportunities
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Manage commercialization trials in partnership with co-packers and our own manufacturing team
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Own day-to-day project management for ongoing R&D project initiatives
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Present product ideas and formulations directly to company senior leadership, including CEO
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Assist in sourcing ingredients and vetting key ingredient suppliers
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Collaborate with QA and Food Safety teams on specification development for raw materials and finished goods
Requirements
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Background in food science and / or product development, e.g., B.S. Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, Nutrition or related area
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3-5 years experience of technical food science and / or product development, ideally focused around sauces and dressings
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Strong understanding of ingredient functionality and ingredient interactions
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A basic understanding of thermal processing and HPP methodology as it relates to formulation
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Understanding of basic principles of food safety such as HACCP and Preventative Controls
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Experience working with third party manufacturers
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Sensibility around ingredient costing; ability to evaluate tradeoffs around cost, nutrition, complexity, supply chain, etc.
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Familiarity with FDA nutrition regulations as they relate to labeling, formulation, etc.
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Experience with shelf-life studies and process validation
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Comfort with fast-paced work environment
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Exceptional organizational and communication skills
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Incredible self-motivation, and a strong belief that something can always be improved
In Your Favor
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Love of food
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Experience with…
… veggies or plant-based products
… fast pace
… young companies or products
Additional Info
Highly competitive compensation package
Healthcare, 401K and other benefits
Generous vacation policy
All the specialty veggies you can eat!
About Ark Foods
We are a modern-day farming company that creates simple, fresh, and exciting food. We believe there’s magic in growing and eating vegetables and we work every day to share this feeling with the world. We’ve built our own ecosystem and are deeply involved at every stage of production, from purchasing the highest quality seeds to growing crops responsibly, and producing imaginative food that, in any form it might take, will be remarkable.
Ark Foods is known for popularizing shishito peppers, but now offers a full suite of branded veggie products, including our specialty pepper line, our heat-and-eat veggie bowls, even pepper cooking kits and squash snack packs. We operate three production facilities up and down the East Coast, including a fully operational fresh cut facility in New Jersey, and are in a period of rapid growth, with revenue and headcount more than doubling each year.