R&D Manager - Beverage

This role will lead hands-on beverage formulation, serve as the technical expert in client facing conversations, support a fast paced lab operation environment, and mentor junior formulators.

Client Details

The hiring company is food and beverage innovation lab that specializes in product formulation, R&D, and production operations management for emerging CPG brands

Description

● Lead hands-on beverage formulation (RTD required; RTM powders a plus), including benchtop development, troubleshooting, and optimization

● Act as the technical expert in client-facing conversations, guiding formulation decisions and managing expectations

● Maintain clear, proactive communication with clients throughout all stages of project engagement, ensuring a consistently high standard of service. Build and sustain strong client relationships by anticipating needs, addressing concerns promptly, and providing timely updates to drive satisfaction.

● Support lab operations across 15-30 concurrent projects, improving workflows from kickoff through delivery

● Mentor and support formulators to elevate technical capabilities and consistency of output

● Partner with sourcing and operations to align formulations with ingredient availability and commercialization pathways

● Contribute to SOP development, documentation standards, and process improvements

● Support scale-up considerations and work with co-manufacturers as needed

Profile

Qualifications:

● Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field (Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, etc.)

● Strong hands-on beverage formulation experience (RTD required; RTM powders preferred)

● Experience working in a lab or pilot environment

● Ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced setting

● Experience working cross-functionally with R&D, sourcing, or operations teams

● Comfortable in client-facing settings as a technical expert

Preferred:

● Experience mentoring or supporting junior formulators

● Exposure to pilot production, scale-up, or co-manufacturing

● Experience improving processes, SOPs, or lab systems

Job Offer

• Competitive salary ranging from $105,000 to $145,000 USD.
• Unlimited PTO to support work-life balance.
• Opportunity to lead a talented team in an innovative and growing company.
• Candidates must be local to Brooklyn, NY or willing to relocate

If you are passionate about driving innovation in engineering and manufacturing within the professional services industry, we encourage you to apply today!

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.