Research and Development Director jobs in Minnesota

Amerilab Technologies is a growing and leading US manufacturer in the development, manufacturing, and packaging of effervescent tablets, and effervescent and non-effervescent powders in stick packs and sachets, and we are currently seeking skilled and experienced R&D Director to join our team.

The Director of Research & Development (R&D) is responsible for leading the research and development team to identify and develop new product opportunities, specifically in effervescent tablets, powders, and other functional foods and nutritional supplement categories.  The position provides strategic direction, leadership, and development to the Research and Development team. This role leverages resources, internal and external relationships, and provides coordination for projects. 

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leads and supports Amerilab’s innovation program through strong understanding of industry trends and client portfolios.
• Evaluates and proposes target development objectives to Executive leadership through assessment of market trends and opportunities. Establishes and maintains development metrics and KPIs for project status reporting to executive team.
• Advances technical expertise and knowledge within the Research & Development department to support new product development, identify and create new platforms that are commercially viable, and meet current trends and future needs to create differentiation for our customers.
• Engages customers and internal team members to clearly define desired product attributes and requirements.
• Leads a cross-functional innovation team on key projects and product innovation. Coordinates research activities with this cross-functional team to evaluate stakeholder requirements.
• Develops, owns, manages, and tracks execution of Amerilab’s product innovation portfolio, from concept through commercialization.
• Approves and submits project proposals to leadership for consideration and allocation of funds or allocates funds from department budget.
• Identifies, assesses, and researches potential applications for new ingredients, manufacturing processes, and technologies to expand Amerilab’s intellectual property and patent opportunities.
• Identifies novel technologies and processes for potential patent submission and works with patent attorneys for patent development and review.
• Ensures new product development fits in with existing manufacturing capabilities and collaborates with Operations to develop new processes where required to ensure successful scale up and production of products.
• Defines process tolerances for new products (raw materials, in-process, and stability) for product reliability and manufacturability, based on current science and robust data evaluation.
• Ensures compliance with applicable standards based on business/project requirements.

Other Duties and Responsibilities:
Understands and adheres to Good Manufacturing Practices.
Safety Protocol:

• Stops any observed unsafe acts and obeys facility safety rules and procedures.
• Corrects or reports any observed safety hazards.
• Supports safety policies and programs.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Provides leadership and direction to the R&D team.
• Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws.
• Interviews, hires, and trains employees; plans, assigns, and directs work; appraises performance; rewards and disciplines employees; addresses complaints and resolves problems.

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities, as management may deem necessary from time to time.