Senior Director, Research & Development (R&D)
Michael Page International
- Naperville, Illinois
- 1 day ago
- $200,000–$230,000 Per Year
- Full-time
Highlights
Our client is a rapidly growing food manufacturing organization focused on delivering innovative, high-quality products to consumers across multiple channels. Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Sales, and Finance to successfully commercialize new products.
Numbers & Facts
| Location | Naperville, Illinois |
| Job Type | Full-time |
| Industry | Staffing/Employment Agencies |
| Salary | $200,000–$230,000 Per Year |
| Company Size | 10,000 employees or more |
| Website | https://www.michaelpage.ca/ |
Description
Senior Director, Research & Development (R&D)
Join a fast growing company! Entrepreneurial role with a lot of autonomy!
About Our Client
Our client is a rapidly growing food manufacturing organization focused on delivering innovative, high-quality products to consumers across multiple channels. The company offers an entrepreneurial culture where leaders are empowered to drive change, influence strategy, and build scalable processes that support continued growth.
Job Description
Innovation & Product Development
- Lead the end-to-end product development process from concept through commercialization.
- Drive the innovation pipeline, identifying new product opportunities that align with consumer trends and business objectives.
- Develop and optimize formulations, processes, and product specifications to ensure products meet quality, regulatory, and profitability standards.
- Support continuous improvement efforts and product optimization initiatives across existing product lines.
- Evaluate emerging technologies, ingredients, and market trends to maintain a competitive advantage.
Commercialization & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Marketing, Sales, and Finance to successfully commercialize new products.
- Lead plant trials, scale-up activities, and product launches to ensure seamless transition from development to production.
- Collaborate with manufacturing teams to improve product performance, efficiency, and cost effectiveness.
- Work with internal and external manufacturing partners to support business growth and product expansion.
- Ensure compliance with all applicable food safety, regulatory, and labeling requirements.
Leadership & Team Development
- Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing R&D team.
- Establish best practices, product development processes, and performance metrics to support organizational growth.
- Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Provide strategic direction while remaining hands-on in key development and commercialization efforts.
- Develop succession plans and talent strategies to ensure long-term organizational success.
Strategic Leadership
- Serve as a key member of the leadership team, contributing to overall business strategy and growth initiatives.
- Develop and execute short- and long-term innovation roadmaps.
- Improve speed-to-market capabilities while maintaining quality and operational standards.
- Drive process improvements that support scalability and business performance.
MPI does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, or based on an individual's status in any group or class protected by applicable federal, state or local law. MPI encourages applications from minorities, women, the disabled, protected veterans and all other qualified applicants.
The Successful Applicant
A successful Senior Director, Research & Development (R&D) should have: Required
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Meat Science, Chemistry, or a related technical field.
- 10+ years of progressive Research & Development experience within food manufacturing or consumer packaged goods.
- Demonstrated success leading product development from concept through commercialization.
- Experience managing and developing R&D teams and technical professionals.
- Strong knowledge of food processing, formulation, commercialization, and regulatory requirements.
- Experience working in USDA and/or FDA regulated manufacturing environments.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and influence stakeholders across the organization.
- Strong project management, communication, and leadership skills.
Preferred
- Advanced degree in Food Science or related discipline.
- Experience with protein-based, meat, poultry, or further-processed food products.
- Background supporting co-manufacturing or multi-site manufacturing environments.
- Experience implementing structured product development processes and stage-gate systems.
- Knowledge of sensory evaluation, consumer testing, and product lifecycle management tools.
What's on Offer
- Competitive base salary
- Performance-based bonus opportunity
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
- 401(k) with company match
- Generous paid time off and holiday schedule
- Career advancement opportunities within a growing organization
Interested? Apply today.
Contact Clayton Hamilton
About Company
Michael Page is one of the world's leading professional recruitment consultancies, specializing in the placement of candidates in permanent, contract, temporary and interim positions with clients around the world.
Our business was established in Canada in 2005 when we opened our Toronto office. Our role is to work with employers and job seekers to facilitate a successful match. This can range from advising a global company on a candidate sourcing strategy to helping a job seeker find their dream job.
In Canada, we focus on recruiting for the following areas:
Banking and financial services
Digital and e-commerce
Engineering and manufacturing
Finance and accounting
Human resources
Information technology
Marketing
Oil and gas
Procurement and supply chain
Property and construction
Sales
An Established Brand
The Group has established a leading presence in many of the key markets for professional recruitment around the world and has positioned itself in certain other markets, which offer the opportunity for future growth. Within its current largest markets, Michael Page has also built a regional presence, including in the UK, France and Australia. Consequently, the Michael Page brand is among the most widely recognized brands in the professional recruitment industry.
A Market Leader
The role of a recruitment consultancy is to act as an intermediary, identifying and sourcing suitably qualified candidates on behalf of its clients. Candidates are recruited either for permanent or contract positions (typically for a fixed term) or on a temporary basis. Within the overall recruitment industry, the market for professional recruitment services is a specialist sector which has developed more recently. Michael Page is widely recognized as leading the development of this market around the world.
Learn the benefits of working with Michael Page yourself. Submit your resume or contact a Michael Page recruitment consultant today.