Do you thrive on turning bold ideas into craveable realities? MUSH Overnight Oats is seeking a highly creative and action oriented R&D Manager to push the boundaries of flavor and functionality in the fast-growing world of healthy foods.

MUSH

MUSH is a people-first food company on a mission to fuel humanity with healthy food and positive energy. We believe that food's first job is to nourish us, and public health is a public good. If you aspire to make the world a little healthier and want to build a reputation of doing hard things well, MUSH may be a great place for you.

What You Will Do

The R&D Manager will oversee and drive the innovation, development, and optimization of new food and beverage products. This individual will develop and lead a team of scientists and product developers to create high-quality, market-leading products from concept to commercialization. The ideal candidate will be highly experienced in food development, possess strong project management skills, and have a deep understanding of consumer trends and market needs in the food and beverage industry.

Responsibilities:

Drive the development of new food and beverage products that meet market demand, consumer trends, and regulatory requirements.
Manage the ideation, prototyping, and testing phases for new products, ensuring all products meet taste, quality, nutritional, and cost parameters.
Lead, mentor, and manage an R&D team to deliver innovative product concepts, formulations, and prototypes while fostering a collaborative and innovative culture aligned with the company’s strategic vision.
Establish and maintain strong cross-functional relationships with marketing, plant operations, supply chain, and quality assurance teams.
Build processes, frameworks, and guardrails to meet business and lab needs.
Work with external suppliers, ingredient providers, and manufacturers to ensure the successful launch of new products.
Ensure product formulations are scalable and adaptable for mass production.
Oversee multiple R&D projects by developing detailed plans, timelines, and resource allocations, ensuring on time and within budget completion through progress monitoring, issue resolution, and regular status updates to senior leadership.
Ensure all products meet regulatory and safety standards for the markets in which they will be sold.
Partner with the Quality Assurance team to establish testing protocols, standards, and validation procedures, and optimize product quality, consistency, and manufacturing efficiency.
Conduct research, identify trends and analyze consumer insights to understand consumer preferences and guide product development.
Lead continuous improvement efforts in both product development and process optimization.
Analyze the performance of launched products, gather feedback, and make recommendations for future iterations or product enhancements.
Ensure the company’s R&D efforts are aligned with its sustainability goals and social responsibility initiatives.

Who You Are

You're passionate about creating innovative, people-centric products by understanding consumer trends. You're driven by continuous learning, a bias for action, and resourceful problem-solving, always demanding excellence. Your strong communication and leadership skills enable effective cross-functional collaboration and team growth, allowing you to manage multiple projects and build win-win relationships.

Qualifications:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field.
7+ years of experience in R&D within the food and beverage industry, with a track record of successfully bringing products to market.
Proven experience in managing cross-functional teams and leading complex product development projects.
Strong understanding of food product development processes, ingredient functionality, and food safety regulations.
Experience with flavor development, product testing, and sensory evaluation is preferred.

Benefits

● Medical, Dental, Vision Coverage
● Life Insurance
● 401(K) including company match
● Unlimited PTO
● 9 Holidays
● Unlimited MUSH in office
● Company Swag

MUSH is an equal opportunity employer, committed to creating a diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.