Lead, R&D - Margin Enhancement, Product

The Kraft Heinz Company
United States
Workplace: HybridFull timeUSD 141,500 - 176,900 annuallyFunction: Research & Scientific (R&D)Experience: 11+ yearsEducation: bachelorsSkills: ["Project leadership","Risk management","Stakeholder communication","Communication","Problem-solving","Mentoring","Coaching"]

Lead the Central Product Productivity team for margin enhancement across the North American region and business units. Own cross-BU ingredient and formulation value engineering pipelines, partner with R&D, procurement, operations, quality, and regulatory teams to define requirements and milestones, and manage enterprise-wide productivity processes. Build integrated project plans, lead reviews and risk escalation, ensure food-safety and shelf-life compliance, and mentor a team of managers and scientists through pilot plant trials and commercialization.

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The Kraft Heinz Company
The Kraft Heinz Company
1 month ago

Lead, R&D - Margin Enhancement, Product

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Source: Company careers pageValidated by: Fursa AI
Last checked: 24 days agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Lead the Central Product Productivity team for margin enhancement across the North American region and business units. Own cross-BU ingredient and formulation value engineering pipelines, partner with R&D, procurement, operations, quality, and regulatory teams to define requirements and milestones, and manage enterprise-wide productivity processes. Build integrated project plans, lead reviews and risk escalation, ensure food-safety and shelf-life compliance, and mentor a team of managers and scientists through pilot plant trials and commercialization.
Location: United States
Workplace: Hybrid
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Research & Scientific (R&D)
Seniority: Manager level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Own the cross-BU ingredient and formulation value engineering pipeline and delivery with Platform R&D teams.
  • •Collaborate across R&D (including platforms, packaging, consumer experience, culinary, commercialization) and with quality, regulatory, procurement, operations, and external partners to define requirements and success criteria for right-first-time launches.
  • •Partner with Procurement and Operations to identify margin enhancement opportunities across North America through champions, pipeline workshops, and supplier sessions.
  • •Maintain enterprise-wide productivity processes by working closely with the Europe and Pacific Developed Markets (EPDM) productivity team, sharing best practices.
  • •Lead integrated project planning and reviews: manage budgets and decision gates, escalate risks and trade-offs, ensure compliance (quality, regulatory, food safety, shelf-life), and guide pilot plant runs, plant trials, and commercialization; mentor junior scientists.
Travel: Low travel

Pay and Benefits

Salary: USD 141,500 - 176,900 annually
Perks:Health InsuranceDentalVisionPaid Leave401kLife InsuranceDisability InsuranceEmployee Assistance

Key Requirements

  • •Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical/Biological Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, or a related field, with 11+ years of R&D product development experience in consumer goods/food and beverage.
  • •Proven experience building and leading high-performing teams, including direct management of people managers and developing talent.
  • •Demonstrated ability to lead product development programs from concept through commercialization.
  • •Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, scale-up, and industrialization, including hands-on experience with pilot plants and commercial production runs.
  • •Solid project leadership skills including planning, risk management, and stakeholder communication for complex product launches.
Experience:11+ yearsFood and beverageConsumer goods
Education:Bachelor's
Skills:Project leadershipRisk managementStakeholder communicationCommunicationProblem-solvingMentoringCoaching

Company Brief

The Kraft Heinz Company
The Kraft Heinz Company is a global food and beverage company producing iconic packaged foods and condiments across categories like cheese, meals, condiments, and beverages, serving retail, foodservice, and consumer markets worldwide.
Industry: Food & Beverage
Company Size: Enterprise (1,001+ employees)
Revenue: USD 1B+
Growth: Public Company
Valuation: Public Company (Market Cap in USD)
Funding: IPO / Publicly Listed
Headquarters: Chicago, United States
Founded: 2015
WebsiteLinkedIn