Job Description

Anyone can follow a recipe, not everyone can create one.  Are you a foodie?  Are you a doer? Can you make the impossible happen?  Can you take ingredients and make it your own? Do you have a passion for the possibilities, the courage to create and use ingredients and processes in ways no one thought of and then translate it to commercial scale?  If you like to roll up your sleeves and make imagination a reality then you are who we are looking for!

This person should have a passion for culinary underpinned with science and nutrition.  Thrive in cross functional teams to deliver new product innovation from concept through development and commercial launch with agile teams and sprint mentality.  The ideal candidate has the ability to leverage external resources where needed to advance and enhance initiatives with a lens of open innovation and speed to market, coupled with excellent communications skills.  This role will continue to grow in a high performing research and development team, with future opportunity to lead a team of developers and research chefs.

The position is located at our Corporate office in Lakeville, MA. Relocation assistance is available.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SR. MANAGER, CULINARY INNOVATION:   This position is responsible for leading the development of confidential projects for our new growth unit, The Innovation Lighthouse, to drive top line growth in new categories with consumer at the center and nutrition in the forefront.  He/she will also develop and implement strategy for Culinary Integration into the innovation process for base business and emerging categories.

Additional responsibilities will be to research and lead communication of culinary trends, underpinned with science and translate application into new product systems.  Build external culinary network for Ocean Spray Cranberries to drive application of cranberries and cranberry ingredients into food systems that deliver nutritional benefit in support of Ocean Spray Professional.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE MUST:

• Be inspired by possibilities. Be a PIONEER with an insatiable appetite for bringing new ideas to life and driving business results.
• Have TECHNICAL AND BUSINESS CURIOSITY. Communicate directly and immediately. Don’t be afraid to assume the role of a leader, contributing both technical and to the broader business discussion.
• Thrive in complexity. HIGHLY MOTIVATED, dedicated SELF-STARTER with a natural inclination to contribute well beyond functional role. Can always be counted on to lend a hand and promote team engagement to achieve goals.
• Have the ability to MULTITASK + WORK AGILE + IDENTIFY NEW WAYS; one day you will work on technical specs and drawing process flow, the next day you will be staying the whole day inside of pilot plant to test your process flow works.
• Be TIMELY/ACCURATE WITH ADMINISTRATIVE DUTIES; keeping management informed of development process, opportunities, updates, etc. Must have a drive for results and follow-through.
• Be WILD, DISRUPTIVE AND FEARLESS. You will revel in the art of craftmanship, with an itch to shape the bigger picture. You will cut straight to the heart of the matter, and love making the plan to be reality.
• BUILD, BUILD, BUILD. A straight-shooter who values and respects team members. Available to the team and forge strong relationships with those around you.

WHEN YOU JOIN US:

• You will be expected to create a unique and dynamic environment with a positive and fun culture in our Innovation team. If you are looking to create and build a start-up environment with a support from big corporation. This is your chance!
• You will be creating growth and business impact for human, food and beverage industry, focuses on helping the next generation of eaters build better behaviors, as well as helping us as food creators build better solutions to address our industry challenges and complex food system.

Qualifications

• Education: Certified Culinary Scientist, BS and/or MS Food Science
• Experience: 5+ years industry experience combined culinary and CPG
• Understand the application of food science and nutrition to food and beverage products
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects concurrently
• Problem solver, and offers very creative and technical solutions to difficult problems
• Supervisory: No direct reports. Required to work collaboratively with cross functional teams such as R&D, Marketing, Innovation Navigation Excellence, Supply Chain and Commercialization, Sales Planning, Category Management, Customer Service, and Finance

Additional Information

WORK PERKS:

• ½ Day Fridays in the Summer
• Onsite Fitness Center & Classes
• Cafeteria
• ManiPro, Dry Cleaning, Zippity Car Service, Onsite Dental Cleanings and many more…

COMPENSATION/BENEFITS

Compensation and benefits are high on everyone's priority list, so it’s high on our list too. That’s why Ocean Spray provides competitive salaries and a wide variety of benefits - including programs that protect your health and welfare, help you prepare for retirement and truly enable you to balance your work and family life.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.