Associate Product Development Manager, Brand Maintenance

A Day in the Life...

• Assist in managing existing beverage product lines, ensuring they remain competitive, compliant, and aligned with brand standards throughout their lifecycle.
• Lead minor product updates and formula optimizations to deliver cost optimization and/or react to ingredient supply constraints while maintaining expected consumer experience and brand consistency.
• Guide team through our Technical Stage Gate process, from Ideation through Launch, ensuring sufficient technical and project management rigor is effectively incorporated into project plans. Guide development of robust learning plans for all commercialization projects.
• Strong understanding of Food and Beverage ingredients to identify potential alternatives.
• Work closely with R&D, Sensory, marketing, regulatory, internal and external supply chain, food safety and quality teams to implement product changes and resolve issues efficiently.
• Track and analyze product performance metrics, consumer feedback, and market trends to identify opportunities for improvement or cost optimization.
• Maintain accurate product documentation in PLM-DEVEX, including formulas, specifications, and change logs, ensuring compliance with internal and external standards.
• Ensure all brand maintenance activities meet consumer, regulatory requirements, food safety and internal quality standards, coordinating with legal and QA teams as needed.
• Participate in value engineering and cost-reduction initiatives while preserving product integrity and brand equity in collaboration with key business partners
• Facilitate the execution of product changes through established production change control processes, including communication with internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Support initiatives aimed at improving product sustainability, such as packaging reduction, ingredient sourcing, or waste minimization to ensure product delivers against consumer expectations and commercial shelf-life requirements
• Offer insights and recommendations during annual planning cycles to help shape brand maintenance priorities and resource allocation.
• Lead a team of two direct reports, providing guidance and support to effectively prioritize and manage multiple concurrent projects, ensuring alignment with departmental goals and deadlines.

What We Are Looking For:

Required

• Bachelor's degree in food science, advanced degrees or certifications (e.g., PMP, Six Sigma) are a plus.
• Ability to manage multiple product updates and timelines efficiently.
• Strong collaboration skills to work with R&D, marketing, FSQA, regulatory, and supply chain teams.
• Experience with leading a team and supporting career development.
• Capable of interpreting performance data, consumer feedback, and cost metrics to guide decisions.
• Precision in managing product specifications, documentation, and compliance requirements.
• Resourceful in resolving product issues and implementing improvements.
• Understanding of food science, packaging, and manufacturing processes.
• Familiarity with FDA, USDA, or other relevant regulatory bodies and standards.
• Experience with PLM systems, Microsoft Office Suite, and data analysis tools.
• Note that this role is on-site, due to significant laboratory and pilot-plant work
• Food Science, Food Engineering, biochemistry, chemistry or related field.
• 7+ years overall work experience
• 5+ years' experience in Food and Beverage CPG Industry
• 4+ years' product development experience - benchtop to commercialization.
• 3+ years' beverage formulation experience

Education:

Work Experience:

Benefits:

• Complete insurance package on Day-1 that includes a plethora of health and wellness programs
  • Health, Dental, and Vision insurance
  • Health savings account
  • Flexible spending account
  • Life and accident insurance
  • Employee assistance program
  • Telehealth services
  • Fertility benefits
  • Transgender benefits
  • 1:1 health coaching and more
• 401(k) with up to 6% Company matching; additional potential discretionary match at year-end
• Short-Term Incentive/Performance bonuses
• Flexible scheduling options
• Vacation pay, up to three weeks of time (pro-rated for your first year of employment)
• Holiday pay for 12 holidays
• Career development and growth opportunities
• Tuition/Education assistance programs
• Access to LinkedIn Learning
• Scholarship programs for children of employees
• Parental leave
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions - Back-up care, tutoring, etc.
• Adoption assistance
• Bereavement leave
• Up to $300 fitness reimbursement
• Up to $300 massage reimbursement
• Employee appreciation events
• Employee discounts
• Charitable giving

Who We Are:

You might have our iconic cranberry juice in your fridge or have gotten into heated holiday debate about what's better - canned or fresh cranberry sauce. But did you know that the hardworking people growing the superfruit in our products are 700 family farmers that own our cooperative? They entrust us with what is most precious to them to create new and innovative products that will delight consumers and grow this beloved brand today and into the future.

Team members, farmers, consumers and communities alike--we value what makes us unique and strive to connect our farms to families for a better life by living our values:

• Grower Mindset - We embrace our grower-owners innovative spirit and heritage through confidence, learning and focus on the future.
• Sustainable Results - Guided by purpose, we are focused on delivering results for our grower-owners.
• Integrity Above All - We are ethical, doing the right thing for our grower-owners, customers, consumers and each other
• Inclusive Teamwork - We build diverse and inclusive teams that strengthen our cooperative.