R&D and Product Development Manager

Who We Are The Good Crisp Company is a rapidly growing snack brand, offering great-tasting, guilt-free snacks designed for healthier lifestyles. Our products are Certified Gluten-Free, NON-GMO Project Verified, and free from artificial ingredients and top allergens. Based in Boulder, Colorado, we are in our seventh year of North American market development, with products available in over 20,000 grocery stores across the U.S. and a robust e-commerce presence. Our values as a company are our north star. It is important every employee contributes to them as we strive to create a successful business that contributes to a more joyful life. We make work a place we all want to be. We’re entrusted to deliver quality work. How we get there is up to us. We choose thoughtful solutions even when it’s not easy. What You’ll Do We’re excited to welcome an R&D and Product Development Manager to our Operations team! The R&D and Product Development Manager will be responsible for leading the technical development and commercialization readiness of The Good Crisp Company's product portfolio. In this role, you will partner cross-functionally to translate consumer, customer, and business needs into commercially viable products that can be consistently manufactured, scaled, and launched successfully. This role serves as the technical bridge between Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, QA, Finance, and external partners. As the bridge, you will own product development from concept through commercial readiness, including formulation, ingredient sourcing, packaging specifications, technical documentation, manufacturing trials, and product lifecycle management. While the Strategic Programs Manager owns the integrated project plan and cross-functional execution, this role owns the technical development of the product, ensuring every product is ready for successful commercialization. This role reports into our Senior Vice President of Operations. While we’re ideally looking for candidates in the Boulder/Denver area, we’re open to remote candidates as well. This role requires about 30% travel to meet with suppliers, manufacturing facilities, and production trials. Key Responsibilities Lead development of new products, line extensions, renovations, and cost optimization initiatives from concept through commercialization. Partner with Marketing to translate consumer insights, brand strategy, and product concepts into commercially viable product solutions. Develop and refine product formulations that meet quality, sensory, cost, manufacturing, regulatory, and customer requirements. Evaluate ingredients, processing methods, and packaging solutions to support product performance, scalability, and commercial success. Lead technical commercialization activities, including feasibility assessment, scale-up, manufacturing trials, validation, and transfer to commercial production. Develop and execute commercialization plans that ensure technical readiness and successful transition from benchtop through full-scale manufacturing. Coordinate with Operations, QA, suppliers, manufacturing partners, and other cross-functional teams to resolve technical issues and optimize products and processes. Ensure technical deliverables—including specifications, formulation records, documentation, approvals, and manufacturing requirements—are complete and accurate throughout the product lifecycle. Maintain and continuously improve product standards, specifications, and technical documentation in response to business needs, supplier changes, regulatory updates, and product improvements. Lead technical packaging development, including evaluation of functionality, manufacturability, product protection, sustainability, cost, and consumer experience. Partner with ingredient and packaging suppliers, manufacturing partners, and technical vendors to evaluate capabilities, qualify materials, and support product and process improvements. Serve as a primary technical resource throughout product development, commercialization, and ongoing product lifecycle management. Who You Are You’re a hands-on innovator. You thrive in a fast-paced environment. You love the cross-functional nature of the work and build relationships easily with different working styles. You operate well under tight timelines. You’re comfortable naming limitations while also seeking creative solutions. You love great snacks and working with great people! What You'll Bring Bachelor’s degree (preferred) 6+ years of progressive experience in food product development, R&D, commercialization, or a related technical role within the CPG industry. Demonstrated experience leading food and beverage products from concept through scale-up, manufacturing trials, and commercial launch. Strong formulation and ingredient functionality experience, with the ability to balance sensory, quality, cost, manufacturability, and customer requirements. Experience working with contract manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and packaging suppliers. Proven understanding of food manufacturing processes, scale-up principles, process validation, and technical troubleshooting. Experience developing and maintaining product specifications, formulations, technical documentation, and other commercialization deliverables. Working knowledge of food safety, quality systems, labeling, regulatory requirements, and customer or retailer specifications. Experience with packaging development and evaluation, including functionality, manufacturability, product protection, and cost considerations. Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple development initiatives and competing priorities. Excellent cross-functional collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to translate technical information for non-technical stakeholders. Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, with a practical, hands-on approach to resolving technical and commercialization challenges. Ability and willingness to travel to suppliers, manufacturing facilities, and production trials as needed (about 30% travel, on site for trials, new supplier meetings, scale up efforts, etc.) Position Details While we’re ideally looking for candidates in the greater Boulder/Denver area, we’re also open to remote candidates for this role. For local candidates, we expect a hybrid work schedule, coming into the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to work together in person. For remote candidates, occasional travel is required for team meetings or company events. The compensation for this position is $130,000-$140,000 based on experience, plus equity. In addition to the annual salary, we’ll also offer: Technology Stipend Equity Full-time employees and dependents are eligible for medical, dental and vision insurance 4 weeks paid time off + paid holidays 401(k) program with employer contribution