Director of Bakery Science & Innovation

Facility: Home Office - Dawn Food Prod. Location: Workplace Type: Hybrid Dawn Foods is a global leader in bakery manufacturing and ingredients distribution. As the partner of choice for inspiring bakery success, we help customers grow their business through meaningful partnerships, research-driven insights and innovations, and products and expertise they can depend on. As a family-owned company, our commitments to our people, products, customers, and corporate values, are all part of our recipe for success. _ Dawn Foods is a global leader in bakery manufacturing and ingredients distribution. As the partner of choice for inspiring bakery success, we help customers grow their business through meaningful partnerships, research-driven insights and innovations, and products and expertise they can depend on. As a family-owned company, our commitments to our people, products, customers, and corporate values, are all part of our recipe for success. _ Why work for Dawn Foods? PEOPLE. PRODUCTS. CUSTOMERS. Why should you apply? We invest in you! Industry-leading health insurance on Day 1! Competitive Pay 401(K) + company match 10 Paid Company Holidays Paid Time Off Professional training Family-owned business over 100 years in service An opportunity for career advancement, working as part of an empowering workforce Job Purpose and Overview This position is responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of key Bakery Science and Packaging Engineering activities within Dawn Foods as well as the execution of long-term Regional Innovation. In addition, this role will be expected to coordinate with the Global Innovation team to ensure that North America is participating in the right Global Innovation projects as well as aware of what innovations are being worked in the other regions (Europe and LATAM) and create prioritization for what can be leveraged back to NA. This role is expected to help transform Dawn’s understanding of the science of baking, ingredient science, processing capabilities, as well as the interaction between ingredients and equipment. This should be focused on creating value through this scientific understanding, allowing us to create a competitive advantage in the market. This position is also responsible for the supervision and development of several food scientists and packaging engineers. This is a hybrid position based in either Jackson, Michigan or Louisville, Kentucky, with up to 20% travel required. Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates based on business needs and eligibility. What You’ll Do as a Director of Bakery Science and Innovation at Dawn Foods? Leads the long-term product and packaging innovation process for Dawn North America. Develop new methods and tools to enhance and integrate emerging technologies into new and existing products creating meaningful differentiation in the market. Proven leadership, communication, and diplomacy skills necessary to effect evolutionary change in Dawn. Developed people leader who motivates teams and individuals. Solid business acumen to be able to translate technology possibilities into opportunities for Dawn. Creates and maintains methods for establishing project priorities, defining metrics, and tracking project progress. Maintains and evaluates a comprehensive list of innovation opportunities and technology advancements. Provides guidance and support for team members’ development including individual development plans and performance reviews. Creates accountability around solid scientific processes with the ability to teach these to other functions. Ability to enhance the Science of Baking at Dawn and scientific understanding of our ingredients and processes. Ability to work cross-functionally to aid in a variety of projects (quality issues, capital execution, supply chain constraints, cost reduction opportunities) using solid scientific understanding and processes to allow for non-obvious solutions. Ability to understand and leverage the interaction between our capital equipment, manufacturing processes, and ingredients to control finished product outputs, quality, and performance. Understand and promote the philosophies and policies of Dawn Food Products, Inc. supporting the Circle of Excellence. Other duties or assignments as needed. What Does It Take to be a Director of Bakery Science and Innovation at Dawn Foods? Below are the minimum qualifications to be a fit for this job. A bachelor’s degree in food science, Material Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or similar disciplines and 8+ years of relevant experience -or- Master’s degree in food science, Material Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or similar disciplines and 6+ years of relevant experience -or- PhD in Food Science, Material Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or similar disciplines and 4+ years of relevant experience. Proven track record with a minimum of 2 years in people management (developing, coaching, mentoring, directing) and budget management. Experience with using a full range of statistical and analytical tools and fundamentals. Ability to be self-directed, forward-thinking, and make complex decisions that drive business performance. The ability to leverage external networks to build a pipeline of emerging technologies. High level of business acumen to understand which technologies apply to Dawn and how to create meaningful value through these technologies. Demonstratable ability in sound scientific processes Experience in Processing R&D and the interaction between ingredients and processing technology and its impact on finished goods performance. Experience in ingredient technology and/or processing is desired. Working in B2B, CPG, or other food background desired. Physical Demands & Work Environment The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a Team Member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. The normal setting for this job is an office environment or work-from-home office with up to 20% travel. Ability to work at a computer for extended periods (up to 8 hours per day). Required to use motor coordination with arm, hand, finger, and leg dexterity. Ability to participate in virtual meetings and in-person collaboration as needed. Note: The level of physical effort may vary from site to site and in some cases be greater or lesser than documented here If this sounds like the opportunity that you have been looking for, please click "Apply.” About Our Benefits Dawn is proud to employ the top talent in the baking industry, and we reward our people with comprehensive health and well-being coverage, competitive compensation packages, and award-winning benefit offerings. We also help protect your future financial health with a generous 401(k) matching program that provides additional retirement funds and many tools and resources on financial wellness. Dawn encourages professional growth through tuition assistance and educational programs, and we are always searching for ways to improve our industry-leading services and benefits. Compensation :Base Salary $124,750 - $212,070 with bonus potential #LI-CJ1 #Hybrid _ An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity/gender expression, citizenship status, military or veteran status, genetic information or any other status or condition that is protected by applicable law. Requisition ID: 38133 An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. Date: Jul 8, 2026 If you need accommodation for any part of the employment process because of a disability, please send an email to [email protected].