Lead, R&D - Product Dev

Job Description

Here at Kraft Heinz, we grow our people to grow our business, because we believe that great people make great companies. When you join our table, you can expect access to an array of holistic wellness benefits* and perks, including medical, dental and vision coverage, 7% 401(k) matching, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) to help foster diversity, inclusion, and belonging for all employees, an industry-leading total rewards package that emphasizes a high discretionary bonus.

*Benefits begin 30 days after hire for hourly employees, and immediately upon hire for salaried employees.

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Lead, R&D - Product Development at a glance...

This is a research and development Lead role in the Beverages & Desserts business unit. This individual will help deliver the near-, mid- and long-term product development strategies for such brands as Capri-Sun, Kool-Aid, Cool-Whip and Jell-O. The role will include advising developers and projects across the North American zone to support the enterprise strategy. It includes coordinating the development for innovation, renovation, productivity, service continuity, and other critical initiatives. The individual will need to work independently with cross functional teams to provide strategic direction and updates on the projects across the platform. Additionally, this role will provide technical coaching and guidance to developers leading projects. They will also cultivate the career development of their team members, while building succession plans for their team. Communication and collaboration skills are crucial in this role, which operates in a dynamic and cross-functional environment with partners in R&D, Quality, Marketing, Commercialization, Operations, Procurement, Finance, Supply Chain, external ingredient/product suppliers, co-manufactures, and other business customers. The candidate must have a technical background, learning mentality and be able to apply prior learning or scientific principles to new situations.

The role will be based out of the Glenview, IL Innovation Center with a flexible hybrid working structure requiring at least 3 days of the week working at an KHC facility and will require travel approximately 20% of the time.

What's on the menu?

• Work directly with the business units, cross-functional teams, plants, and suppliers as the R&D category lead to help develop strategies and lead developers across all projects within the category
• Lead the resources and budget management for projects and initiatives within the category
• Assist in scoping and facilitating business opportunities
• Lead developers to design and implement tests, analyzing data, drawing conclusions, documenting, communicating results to successfully commercialize products
• Translate research findings into substantial business opportunities and communicate to cross-functional teams
• Communicate regularly with BU cross functional teams, as well as pertinent R&D Leads
• Operates with a high degree of autonomy, creating and prioritizing own and team’s work
• Support extended cross functional team on initiatives to ensure commercialization excellence and speed to market
• Understand relevant competitors in the Beverage and/or Desserts category and bring a consumer centric approach to innovation.
• Scout and seek new technology platforms to driver greater disruption for KHC.
• Able to create and build partnerships with key partners, suppliers, academia and industry leaders to navigate and lever technology strategies.
• Collaborate with all related technical experts and internal category scientists to understand technologies and applications
• Collaborate with teams to understand and ensure product quality and food safety requirements are defined and delivered through the completion of raw material, finished product and quality specifications that deliver consistent, high-quality products
• Guide technical timelines, provide clear and timely communication, complete risk assessments, raise issues, and develop contingency plans demonstrating strong project management skills
• Work closely with Food Safety, Regulatory & Labeling to ensure appropriate steps taken to deliver the best product to our consumers
• Adopt a culture of diversity & inclusion, sustainability, learning, and working like an owner
• Inspiring a culture of excellence and high performance: Cultivate an organizational culture that embraces ambition, engagement, agility, and innovation.
• As a champion of people leadership, you