Product Development Manager

Location: New York City

Who We Are: Banza reimagines your favorite comfort foods, like pasta, pizza, mac & cheese, and waffles, using chickpeas. Why? Because we know chickpeas aren’t just delicious, they’re also one of the most nutritious and sustainable foods. Yet 80% of the country isn’t eating enough of them. Our mission is to inspire people to eat more chickpeas and other beans, making a positive impact on human health and the environment. We’ve been named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year, Adweek’s Best Food Brand, and are proud to have fans at Good Morning America, The New York Times, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and more.

Your Mission: We are looking for an entrepreneurial Product Development Manager to join our team and manage product optimization & new product development across our product portfolio. You will oversee the renovation of our current products and partner cross-functionally to launch new products that embody Banza’s mission and values. You will be tasked with ensuring the absolute best product hits shelves, while managing timelines, sensory and cost inputs, cross-functional partners, and long-term strategy. You will work closely with the Senior Vice President of Product and other product team members to ensure our products are the best they can be.

What You’ll Do 

• Lead all R&D projects related to the sensory optimization and new SKU development for our in-market product lines 
• Co-author new product briefs for new projects, integrating nutritional, sensory & cost targets, in partnership with Brand Management
• Partner with the R&D team to coordinate & execute benchtop prototyping for new and existing products
• Partner with Supply Chain to coordinate & execute line trials to validate performance at scale
• Build and maintain a close partnership with manufacturing & supplier partners to ensure successful product outcomes
• Partner with the Sensory team to design & execute sensory analyses during development, help guide methodology based on project goals, and leverage results to make data-driven decisions
• Work closely with the Quality team to create & maintain product specifications, ensuring manufacturing partners are consistently producing to specification
• Source ingredients and documentation for development purposes and commission lab analyses to guide key decisions like shelf life, nutritionals and more
• Lead technical research projects with external partners (ex. Glycemic index analyses) to understand the positive impact of Banza products and inform external facing claims
• Manage the systems and processes that keep the Product Development team running - including Genesis and associated nutritional documentation, new ingredient onboarding, lab test results database and more

Who You Are:

• 5-8+ years of professional experience in food/beverage CPG product development
• Master’s degree (MSc, Master’s of Food Science, MEng) or equivalent experience and training
• Have successfully worked cross-functionally to manage product optimization projects and taken consumer products from idea to production 
• Strong communicator with project management experience
• Experience working with gluten-free products, extrusion, or spray-dried cheese preferred
• Adaptable and autonomous; able to adhere to ambitious timelines and able to translate technical concepts into strategic business decisions
• Organized and efficient, with a track record of managing information and designing processes to make speedy, data-driven decisions 
• Confident, passionate, and high commitment 
• Ability to travel 10%+
• Ability to go into our Midtown office at least 3x per week
• Valid driver’s license and ability to drive required (car not required), particularly for manufacturing site visits
• Passionate about what Banza’s doing!

To Apply: Write a cover letter describing why you want to join Banza and why you would be an excellent fit for this role (yes, we actually read every cover letter!) and then apply directly to this posting. 

We're aware of the research showing that historically underrepresented groups are less likely to apply for a job if they don't believe that they meet all of the criteria. Do you hesitate to submit an application because you believe you need to check every box? Please apply anyway with a thoughtful cover letter! We would love to hear from you to discuss how you can help us build a great team at Banza.

Compensation: 

Our salary ranges are based on verified market data and our philosophy of paying competitively for our size and industry. Individual pay rate decisio