R&D Manager

Yamamotoyama USA•Pomona, CA

2d•$125,000 - $135,000

About The Position

The R&D Manager leads all product development and technical innovation efforts within the Yamamotoyama/Stash/Ujido company. This role is responsible for creating new products, improving existing formulations, ensuring regulatory compliance, and supporting manufacturing scale-ups. The manager works closely with cross-functional teams to deliver safe, high-quality, commercially viable products that meet consumer needs and company objectives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, or related field.
5+ years of experience in Food & Beverage R&D, with at least 2 years in a leadership or senior development role.
Strong understanding of food processing, ingredient functionality, and manufacturing operations.
Experience with regulatory compliance, nutrition labeling, allergen management, and food safety requirements.
Knowledge of sensory evaluation methods and shelf-life testing.
Proven ability to run multiple projects using stage-gate or similar development processes.
Strong communication skills with the ability to present technical concepts to both technical and non-technical teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the tea industry is preferred, but not required.

Responsibilities

Lead and coach the R&D Specialist while owning the product innovation pipeline from concept through commercialization.
Develop new tea SKUs by formulating, prototyping, and optimizing flavor, aroma, functionality, nutrition, and shelf stability.
Translate bench-top prototypes into scalable formulas, ingredient statements, specifications, and processing parameters.
Partner with Operations, Quality, and external co-manufacturers to plan and execute pilot runs, scale-ups, and first production runs.
Serve as the technical point of contact for co-manufacturers during scale-up, troubleshooting, and ongoing production support.
Conduct shelf-life studies, ingredient evaluations, and process validations to ensure consistent commercial performance.
Ensure all products meet food safety, regulatory, and labeling requirements (FDA, USDA as applicable, and local regulations).
Drive cost, quality, and performance optimization of existing products without compromising brand or sensory standards.
Collaborate with Marketing and Sales to translate consumer insights and trends into viable, differentiated tea concepts.
Build and maintain strong technical relationships with ingredient suppliers and manufacturing partners; travel to facilities as needed for trials, audits, and launches.