Job details

Director of Research & Development

Company Description: Instinct® is a rapidly growing, family-owned marketer and manufacturer of science based 100% natural pet food for dogs and cats. Instinct® is the Raw Brand, with a mission to get more raw nutrition into every bowl of dogs and cats, for proven healthier and happier long lives. Our company mission is to Empower people to transform the lives of pets. We are committed to hiring and developing a team of passionate, performance-oriented professionals who live by our 4 values of championing raw, empowered to make a difference, collaborating as one team, and striving for excellence through continuous learning and improvement. Our home office is located in St. Louis, Missouri with our Center of Excellence Raw Food kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Position Summary: This recognized leader in research & development has full accountability to perform as the subject matter expert in finding science-based solutions through new technology, product development, and internal research initiatives while upholding our commitment to raw nutrition. This individual will provide strategic leadership to drive growth in Instinct’s raw frozen and freeze-dried business while demonstrating an ownership mindset in relation to the overall business. Additionally, this individual will collaborate in partnership with Marketing, Operations, Food Safety, Procurement, Finance, and R&D teams to execute cross functional initiatives that deliver both top line and bottom-line revenue growth.

Primary Job Responsibilities:

Deliver new product development, commercialization, and limited post-launch support for key innovation projects.
Lead the ideation, testing, and validation for formula cost optimization projects.
Provide technical & business risk assessment, and perspectives related to product/process changes to ensure products are safe, stable, and meet regulatory requirements.
Leverage internal and external expert network to ensure deep and broad knowledge of Instinct business, category platforms and relevant technologies.
Drive R&D initiatives with cross functional teams both internally in R&D and within the business.
Design and execute experiments and analyze / interpret data to make sound technical recommendations on product and process opportunities.
Develop and lead research activities for internal initiatives as well as mange 3rd party initiatives.
Demonstrate deep understanding of experimental design and effective application in research projects.
Perform basic economic evaluations on ingredients, ingredient suppliers, and product formulations using Concept 5 formulation database.
Promote and sustain effective working relationships with outside key partners.
Be a Raw Champion. Strong understanding in nutrition and the ability to educate others on benefits of science-based nutrition.

Personal Attributes:

Strong organizational skills, managing multiple projects, with the ability to work independently or as a team on tight deadlines.
Ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment and comfortable operating at a rapid pace with strong execution orientation.
Strategic thinker, who is naturally curious about pets, the market, and the world around them with the ability to translate the brand vision into viable on shelf products.
Strong attention to detail with excellent problem solving and practical learning skills.
Ability to effectively communicate, both verbal and written.
Strong people development and coaching skills to allow people to be the best version of themselves.

Skills and Technical Expertise:

Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Excel and Word
Basic project management skills
Strong understanding of product development, food manufacturing, and processing equipment

Required Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemical/Food Engineering, Chemistry, or other related applied science/engineering disciplines required.
Master’s or PhD is preferred.
Must have a minimum of 8 years’ experience in Research & Development, Innovation, Engineering or Product Formulation.
Experience working with and in manufacturing facilities.
Strong knowledge of raw materials, ingredient functionality and claims substantiation.
Demonstrated ability to manage and lead multiple complex, large-scale, technically driven projects from concept to commercialization.
Strong technical problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills
Ability to challenge assumptions and build robust technical plans to test hypotheses.
Experience in petfood formulation and technologies such as High-Pressure Processing and Freeze Drying is also preferred.

Travel Requirements:

Requires travel up to 20% of time.

Compensation and Benefits

Highly competitive compensation package includes health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, short and long-term disability, paid time off, Purpose Days off for company partner volunteer opportunities, and 401k with company match.

Our Instinct is to CHAMPION Diversity

At Instinct, we are as passionate about our people as we are about the pets we call family. We are committed to inclusion, empowerment, and respect. We believe that just like our pets, what sets us apart unleashes our greatest strengths. We thrive on the ability to not only empower people to transform the lives of pets through raw nutrition, but also to empower each other to inspire a culture that celebrates our differences. Our unique approach to pet food is what makes us who we are as a company, and our individual identities are what makes us a successful, innovative, authentic team.

Instinct Glassdoor Company Review

4.4

Instinct DE&I Review

4.6

CEO of Instinct

Neil Thompson

Approve of CEO

By Instinct

Our purpose – the reason behind everything we do – is to empower people to transform the lives of pets. And to lead a movement toward better pet health.

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INDUSTRY

Consumer Product Manufacturing

TEAM SIZE

201-500

LOCATION

Hybrid, based in Saint Louis, MO

DATE POSTED

April 15, 2023