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 supporting every aspect of the R&D process, from bench top all the way through final commercialization.
Key work streams will include:
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Help create crave-worthy 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 (plant-based, veggie-forward, clean label), and allow for market scalability
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Work together with Sales and Marketing 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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Strong understanding of ingredient functionality and ingredient interactions
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Work closely with third party manufacturers
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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
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Support our sales process with in-development items through production of prototype samples
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
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Understanding of basic principles of food safety such as HACCP and Preventative Controls
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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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Demonstrated R&D technical competence
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Comfort with fast-paced work environment, Incredible self-motivation
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Exceptional organizational and communication skills
In Your Favor
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Great palate
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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!
