New Product Development - Lead Developer

New Product Development - Lead Developer, Food Preparations, Full Time | Brecksville, OH

AGRANA Fruit is the global leader in delivering healthy and delicious fruit solutions in one of the fastest growing segments in the food industry. We partner with our customers to develop innovative products across multiple categories including refrigerated & frozen dairy, bakery and food service. Our team of experts are passionate about the wonderful world of food and meeting the needs of consumers around the world.

The role of Lead Developer is to drive technical solutions for key customer accounts through hands-on product development and through managing others. This role will handle projects with the highest complexity and act as the main customer contact for new product development within their respective accounts

Key Accountabilities

• Responsible for all development and innovations for specific customer accounts. Manage customer requests, project status tracking, required research, formula development, sample submissions, internal and external documentation, product scale-up, and post-launch review.
• Prioritize all experimental and analytical test requests within the broader NPD team in coordination with peers.
• Manage base business requests for documentation in relation to raw material and finished product data specification.
• Perform application and shelf-life testing of products to ensure product performance.
• Research new ingredients and technologies in order to gain competitive advantage or transformation savings; contribute to pipeline development.
• Reporting of Product Development activities to Sr. Director NPD.
• Manage 2-3 Product Development team members which includes performance, project assignment, technical coaching and training.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects and/or projects with multiple work streams that require input from cross-functional stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Agrana and key customer stakeholders. Consult with stakeholders on their current operations, suggest improvements, and collaborate on change management.

· The role requires 10-20% travel

Fundamental Requirements-

Education / Training:

· BS in Food Science, Food Technology or relevant STEM degree

Know-how / Professional Experience:

· 8-10 years’ progressive experience in a R&D or Product Development role.

· Prior supervisory experience is a plus

· Strong organizational and project management skills.

· Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

· Solid foundation in analytical techniques for food and beverage applications.

· Knowledge of stabilizer systems, colors, flavors, and other food ingredients.

· Must be willing to taste products with dairy, sugar, gluten, and other common allergens.

· Knowledge of PLM systems, MS Windows, MS Office, etc. SAP Experience a plus.

· Ability to manage multiple priorities within a fast-paced environment.

If interested, apply online at or e-mail your resume to [email protected]