Senior Director Research & Development

Since 1930, Martin Bauer has stood for expertise in botanical products.

Our success is built on our passion and love for nature. Whether peppermint, hibiscus, rooibos or mate, our products always come from responsibly sourced, high-quality botanicals that are processed using rigorous, certified methods.

We provide bespoke solutions to our customers from the tea, beverage, food, animal nutrition and pharmaceutical industries. As drivers of innovation and creativity, we deliver solutions for successful products of tomorrow.

We are looking for a Senior Director of R&D who will direct and oversee the innovation strategy for Martin Bauer’s American HUB companies. This role is an integral member of the executive team based in Secaucus, New Jersey. This role reports to the CEO, with multiple direct reports in R&D and Innovation.

As a Senior Director, you will lead a team of experienced scientists, responsible for the design of food/beverage concepts utilizing teas, herbals, coffees and dietary ingredients to implement new products and technologies. This role has significant leadership responsibilities through organizational influence and partnership with internal and external functional partners.

You and your team will work closely with cross-functional teams to provide technical leadership to drive sales through the creation of applications and product concepts showcasing Martin Bauer and partner ingredients.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Manage and collaborate with the R&D team in designing food and beverage formulations, highlighting Martin Bauer tea/coffee/herbal ingredients.
• Manage the day-to-day activities of the R&D lab with a heavy focus on project management.
• Oversee various projects within the organization in process development and application development, providing technical assistance to domestic and international manufacturing plants within the Group.
• Work with Sales and Marketing directly on the development and production of new and existing through customer specific opportunities, campaigns, and tradeshows.
• Work closely with Operations overseeing new and existing products to troubleshoot, meet specifications, improve efficiencies and reduce costs.
• Interact internally within the US, European, and Asian business hubs, providing guidance, solving problems and sharing ideas.
• Interact directly with customers for new opportunities, technical support, and capabilities demonstrations alongside the sales team.
• Manage day to day operations of the lab by managing the maintenance of lab equipment and stock of ingredients, samples and supplies.
• Based in Secaucus, NJ with occasional travel (local, national, and international). The candidate will perform in a diverse environment that is geographically dispersed and frequently interact with colleagues in different time zones and different countries utilizing different media.

Requirements:

• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree food science, chemistry, food or chemical engineering. Master’s degree preferred.
• 10+ years of work experience in R&D of product development in the food & beverage industry or equivalent, hands-on laboratory development, formulation design and food & beverage ingredient applications.
• SAP experience is a plus.
• Experience with C4C customer relationship management tool is a plus
• Direct knowledge and work experience with botanical ingredients emphasizing teas, herbals and coffee is preferred. Experience in Food Service applications is a plus.
• Thorough understanding in formulating food & beverage products which deliver healthy and nutritional benefits. Understanding the nutritional composition of functional plant-based ingredients and the ability to optimize their impact on taste, texture and stability.
• Ability to build strong trusted working relationships at all levels & demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as part of a team.
• Requires excellent problem-solving skills with the ability to identify cause and solution. Written and oral communication skills and understanding of mathematics and scientific concepts are essential.
• Must be able and willing to travel. Frequent participation in telephone and video conferencing with various local and international time zones is required.

EEO

We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. If you require special accommodation, please let us know.