Job Abstract

The R&D Optimization Manager is responsible for identifying and executing initiatives that will reduce cost, improve efficiency, increase capacity, improve quality and / or simplify our operations. Role must work collaboratively across all functions. Key partners include: Cost Accounting, Capital teams, operations, sales, FSQA, Process Engineering and Innovation R&D team. Manager is responsible for team KPIs and project health tracking. Pork Quality team report through R&D Optimization manager. This team is responsible for ensuring Pork Quality analytics are achieved and work with Operations and Country View Family Farms to resolve any gaps to target.

Managerial & Leadership

• Manages the R&D Optimization and Pork Quality teams to assure effectiveness of the team's activities, team member development and department growth
• Leads and manages a team of technical resources to effectively deliver on corporate growth & profitability initiatives
• Ability to generate & lead high profile technical initiatives, including planning, communication, and successful transition to ops
• Ensure all active projects have executional plans and accountability to schedule adherence
• Able to effectively build relationships & collaborate between cross functional departments
• Effectively leads team to obtain and maintain regulatory compliance (formula / label) and approvals
• Leads the products through Stage & Gate discovery, development, & launch processes - Supports the
• PIR change management systems
• Provide leadership to enhance food safety, quality, and costs of all products manufactured
• Provide leadership of projects to enhance the quality of the companies raw pork supply through enhancement of the live production operations and producer partner supply of the company
• Able to effectively build relationships & collaborate between cross functional departments and internal

R&D Innovation Team

• Effectively manages the Project Load- Provides clear & regular communications & updates- written & verbal
• Ensure appropriate commissioning and scaling to ensure successful hand-off
• Ability to track resourcing and work with innovation activity to re-balance team support across innovation and optimization initiatives
• Participate in process improvements efforts for processes owned by other departments

Systems Execution

• Identifies new optimization project and platform concepts which can deliver capacity, efficiency, quality, compliance, and cost improvements
• Proven track record of continuous improvement through process, product or productivity gains
• Works with vendors to identify innovative materials, equipment, and processes, evaluate and implement to create incremental improvements
• Provides input in all aspects of the company, supports company initiatives
• Act as front line technical communicator with internal & external partners & customers
• Owns and tracks optimization KPIs, Annual deliverables, and Quarterly deliverables
• Ensure post mortems occur and learnings are applied to our innovation and optimization processes
• As required, able to integrate and leverage capital system
• Ability to define and refine project scopes
• Able to draft and develop the team's ability to create and define effective testing plans. Ensure testing results are documented
• Own the Optimization process. Accountable for linkage to other processes as well as the need to improve our optimization process.

Talent Management

• Set expectations for direct reports
• Coach direct reports for growth
• Develop succession plan within team
• Recruit and onboard new team members into open positions
• Evaluate and implement team structure to match the vision for the R&D team
• Oversee and manage SOPs for role and role of direct report
• Assess and develop talent of team individually and collectively to improve capabilities

Team CFG

• Attend and participate in Regular Technical Team Meetings
• Attend re-occurring meetings for new product launches
• Attend and lead as necessary, R&D staff meeting
• Participate in on-boarding of team members in other departments
• Attend and participate in PIR meeting
• Participate & Lead as necessary in the KPI development with R&D team
• Represents company at community events and supports various company events and meetings in positive manner
• Qualifications:
• Possess in depth knowledge of meat and poultry products and science; applies knowledge to deliver product & process solutions.
• Knowledgeable with fresh & cured meats equipment, formulation, processes & packaging
• Sound understanding of Meat & Poultry Ingredient functionality
• Committed to quality- has a solid foundation in Meat Plant GMP’s, HACCP, Specifications, & USDA/ FSIS Policies
• The ability to: interact with others in a positive manner; understand others objectively; connect with others on personal level; persuading others to a given point of view.
• The ability to take personal responsibility and action toward self-improvement and learning; a measure of how strongly a person feels the need to achieve.
• The ability to: establish a process for activities that lead to the implementation of systems, procedures or outcomes; identify long range goals and design plans to attain them; understand the needs of a situation and establish effective action plans; evaluate future implications of current decisions and actions.