Nature’s Fynd is a groundbreaking food tech and sustainable materials company born out of NASA-supported research on extremophiles in the geothermal pools of Yellowstone National Park. Our novel fermentation technology produces a sustainable source of complete protein using only a fraction of the resources required by traditional agriculture. As the challenge to feed the world’s expanding population grows, our mission is to create amazing foods and materials that provide sustainable choices and nurture the planet.
We’re looking for passionate, driven, and ambitious people to join our fast-growing team.
We are seeking a Product Development Manager to lead Retail & Foodservice projects from concept through commercialization. Reporting to the Chief Product Officer, they will orchestrate the technical work to deliver new products, productivity, and overall performance criteria. The role designs consumer-centric products across existing and new categories. The leader will translate functional ingredient sciences into a range of food categories leveraging Nature’s Fynd nutritional fungi protein technology. They will serve as a core member of the Product Innovation Leadership Team and support the Product/Channel Innovation Working Group.
The ideal candidate will be a proven Product Developer/Food Innovator with cross-functional leadership CPG experience. This person will be a growth-oriented leader with a successful track record in ingredient and formulation sciences, innovation, productivity, quality improvement, and food regulations. The successful candidate will be resilient, resourceful, and comfortable dealing with ambiguity. They will have exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship building skills and be comfortable working interdependently.
This position is located in Chicago, IL at our 2075 W 43rd St location.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Lead research and product development work for Nature’s Fynd across Dairy Free, Soy Free, Nut Free and Meat Free retail and foodservice categories
- Leverage agile methods and rapid prototyping to enable simpler, faster, better design attributes that beat the competition and exceed consumer expectations
- Design and deliver differentiated new products across guardrails supporting the values of unrivaled quality, creativity and innovation, and speed to market across core products, existing pipelines, and adjacent category innovation platforms
- Committed to rolling up sleeves to deliver new products, quality improvements from benchtop to production scale
- Foster a dynamic, fast paced, and highly collaborative environment where strategic thinking, creativity, leadership, and a self-motivated drive for excellence
- Help develop infrastructure, process, and organizational discipline to improve capabilities, technical due diligence, specifications and product development utilization
Required Experience:
- B.S. in Food Science or Food Engineering with M.S/PhD Preferred
- 10+ years progressive technical innovation experience across Product and Packaging R&D, Quality, and Culinary Sciences at food and beverage companies
- Cultured Products, Plant Based Foods & Beverages, Meals & Enhancers, Frozen Foods experience preferred
- Adept understanding of Food Regulations, Labeling, Scientific Affairs and Product Claims
- Experienced leadership of Supplier Innovation Programs, Productivity and Speed to Market Initiatives, and Quality Improvement
- Mastery of Sensory, Consumer Sciences, and Competitive Benchmarking
Benefits:
- Participation in Employee Stock Ownership Program
- 100% paid employee benefits (medical, dental, vision)
- Generous Parental leave policy
- Opportunity to join a company with an aggressive growth trajectory that will revolutionize multiple industries
- Engaging and dynamic work culture full of innovation and collaboration with your fellow Fynders
Commitment To Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, And Belonging:
- Nature’s Fynd views equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging as the pathway to achieving inclusive excellence and fostering a culture where everyone can thrive. We strive to create a community that draws upon the widest possible pool of talent to unify excellence and diversity while fully embracing individuals from varied backgrounds, cultures, races, identities, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, and values
EEO Statement:
- We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law
