VP of Research & Development

Job Description

Reporting to the President of Deli Star

Must be located in or around St. Louis, MO. as this role is onsite

Key Roles:

• New Product Development & Commercialization
• Food Discovery
• Open Innovation
  
  

Description of Responsibilities and Objectives:

Leading and managing new product development and commercialization, food discovery, and open innovation programs. This position requires strategic thinking, strong leadership skills, and a deep understanding of food/meat science & processing and annual R & D budgeting.

• New Product Development & Commercialization
• Business opportunities vetting based on company’s vision, strategies, manufacturing capabilities & capacities prior to project approvals
• Support sales & marketing strategies by developing new products and product commercialization
• Lead R & D team & manage R & D pipeline, benchtop development through commercial scale-up, effectively & efficiently
• Establish and nurture R & D to R & D relationships with customers
• Regular R & D pipeline status reports
• Food Discovery
• Drive business initiatives through Food Discovery Center
• Manage Kitchen suites & Pilot plant
• Establish & nurture technical relationship with strategic vendors (primarily ingredient vendors)
• Develop & lead technical workshops for Deli Star team members to increase understanding of key food science, culinary, and technical principles
• Conduct technical workshops for Deli Star’s key customers for understanding science behind Deli Star’s product offerings and seeking new opportunities from customers
• Contractual agreements with external entities, such as educational institutions, customers, vendors, etc. for the utilization of Food Discovery Center and innovation services offered
• Open Innovation
• Develop Deli Star Innovation Program using “Open Innovation” model.
• Facilitate strategic innovation (ideation) sessions with customers in collaboration with Culinary Sales based on company’s business growth strategies
• Develop fully vetted new & innovative concepts for sous vide meats, ready-to-eat meals, deli meats, and salads in collaboration with Marketing & Culinary Sales
• Develop & Nurture collaborative relationships with key strategic customers
• Promote (institutionalize) open innovation culture throughout the organization
  
  

Qualifications:

• Minimum Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree preferred, in Food Science/Meat Science or Culinary Science.
• Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in the food industry with an emphasis in protein.
• Proven experience in R & D leadership roles with expertise in successfully developing and launching innovative food products for a minimum of 10 years.
• Experience in leading highly skilled technical teams
• Strong product development and project management skills utilizing data and problem-solving capabilities.
• Understanding of regulatory and food safety requirements.
• Must be passionate about food and enjoy cooking for small or large groups of people
• A self-starter, organized, self-managing, with strong time management skills.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and networking skills.
• Excellent leadership, team management, and communication skills.
• Budget management experience.
• Experience working with multiple projects within a team environment.
• Proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint
• Willingness to travel as required.
  
  

People First Culture

We take care of our employees. We understand that as the world evolves, life evolves, and it impacts work, life, and our relationships with one another. We are committed to reinventing ourselves and updating policies, procedures, and benefits to reflect what works best for our people and the world around us.

We are excited to offer standard benefits as well as additional benefits that wow! Some of our benefits that we are especially proud to offer include:

• Flexible work with plenty of time off to support your wellbeing.
• Tuition Advancement Program that pays $5k a year towards your learning and growth.
• Deli Star Scholarship Program that pays 100% of costs for those pursuing a degree in Food Science.
• Wellbeing Program with 12 employer paid therapy sessions through Samata Health.
• 100% paid Long Term Disability coverage for all employees.
• Annual Bonus Program that shares the success of the company with employees.
• Swag and Food! We love a good branding moment and enjoy when our team is showing the Deli Star love. You can expect to receive free swag and food from time to time.
• Sabbatical Program! After 5 years of employment, employees enjoy 6 weeks off fully paid to travel, explore a hobby, volunteer, or simply just relax.
  
  

At Deli Star, we celebrate people. We believe that the unique lived experiences of our team contribute to our overall strength. We’re passionate about adding new perspectives to the team and designing employee experiences that contribute to your growth as much as you do to ours. If your experience aligns with what we’re looking for (even if you don’t check every single box), send us your application. We would love to hear from you!

Deli Star is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

This document is a guide for you in carrying out your day-to-day activities. The responsibilities as set forth above provide you a better description of the role you play with the company. It is meant to give you a better idea of what is expected from your job. Since this document will be distributed to all Directors and Managers it provides your peers with an understanding of your roles. Hopefully this will eliminate overlap of responsibilities and the duplication of efforts. The success of the company depends on your performance. Thus, your performance and value to the company may be judged by how well you complete these responsibilities and objectives. Also, please be aware that your roles and responsibilities may change from time to time as demanded by the best interest of the company. You are encouraged to openly discuss any part of your responsibilities and objectives that are not clearly understood. Finally, it has been and always will be the culture at Deli Star to perform job duties and tasks outside of this role definition in honor of increasing your value to the