Food Product Development Manager
Who We Are
The Farmer’s Dog was created to radically improve the $90 billion global pet food industry — starting with a subscription service that sends freshly-made food directly to customers’ doors. Long term, our aim is to simplify every part of pet care, bettering the lives of the animals who make our lives better. Backed by the early investors of Warby Parker, Dollar Shave Club, and Sweetgreen, we've raised over $100M in funding and seek to build a company as healthy as the dogs we feed.
Join The Farmer’s Dog team as we continue to figure out ways of bringing peace of mind to customers, health to their companions, and much-needed change to the way people feed and care for their pets.
#LongLiveDogsWhere You'll Come In
The Product Development Manager will provide expertise and leadership in the commercialization of fresh pet food products and other line extension opportunities. This position will carry out TFD's mission of using the highest quality and safety standards to create and deliver food products that are safe, nutritionally complete, and balanced for dogs. The role will lead technical activities in product development, collaborate with external specialists and co-manufacturers, assuring effective execution of assigned project activities.
How You'll Make An Impact
- Provide technical expertise for products in development, new and existing products, as well and new and/or existing raw materials.
- Build prototypes, define scale-up plans and commercialize formulas.
- Define Commissioning, Qualification and Verifications protocols for all Innovation/Renovation projects
- Drive product cuttings, plant trials, and finish product or raw materials testing.
- Work with Co-manufacturing network to optimize current production, test, and commercialize new formulas.
- Provide critical updates and progress reporting to leadership.
- Work alongside multiple departments with all aspects of product roll-out.
- Responsible for resolution of technical and nutritional issues that arise during development, production, operational, and product performance.
- Proven understanding of how teams need to bring to bear pilot plant equipment and product specification systems.
- Runs individual tasks and works under limited supervision
We're Excited About You Because
- Minimum 8+ years of relevant work experience with food products
- Solid understanding in food product design, formulation, ingredient functionality and interaction, process and package design, product scale-up, plant testing, and commercialization.
- Understanding of food science/industry standards of quality and food safety, and USDA/FDA regulations.
- Experience with government regulatory requirements in the processing of food.
- Exhibit leadership and proactive attitudes in approaching technical solutions to business and market issues.
- Proven project management skills with ability to independently run project work and balance multiple projects/tasks simultaneously.
- Demonstrated ability to communicate well and to effectively influence and interact with others to accomplish research goals.
- Excellent negotiating skills when working through conflict resolution.
- Positive relationship skills, both internally and externally, to achieve best in class positive teamwork.
- Comfortable traveling up to 25%.
- Experience in MS Office (Excel, Word, Powerpoint, and Access) and Google Docs (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms)
A Few of Our Best Benefits
- Brand new dog-friendly office in Greenwich Village (upon a safe return-to-office!)
- Market-competitive compensation and equity packages
- Comprehensive Healthcare, Dental, and Vision
- 12 week paid parental leave
- Flexible PTO and WFH policy
- Discounted fresh food for your pup
- Your pet interrupting video calls (and in person-meetings) is now a feature, not a bug