Sr. Director Product Development

Sr. Director Product Development Based in New Orleans, Reily Foods Company has created iconic foods and beverages for over 120 years, including French Market Coffee, Luzianne Iced Tea, Blue Plate Mayonnaise, Swans Down Cake Flour, and Carroll Shelby Chili. As Sr. Director of Product Development, you will guide the company’s innovation agenda across coffee, tea, mayonnaise, and ready‑to‑drink (RTD) beverages, managing the strategic direction for R&D, promoting innovation, and ensuring the successful commercialization of products that strengthen our leadership in both retail and foodservice channels. In support of our corporate strategy and long‑term growth plans, you will lead a multidisciplinary R&D organization, foster external partnerships, and bring a balance of technical excellence, consumer‑centric innovation, and disciplined project management. Key Responsibilities Serve as the senior product development leader contributing to enterprise‑wide strategy and decision making. Champion an innovation‑first culture across the organization, aligning technical priorities with brand, marketing, and commercial objectives. Represent R&D and Innovation at the enterprise level and with key customers and partners. Execute an innovative multi‑year R&D roadmap for beverages, condiments, and adjacent categories. Drive new platform creation in refrigerated RTD beverages while extending innovation across coffee, tea, mayonnaise, and emerging whitespace categories. Partner with culinary professionals, chefs, and foodservice operators to translate culinary and foodservice insights into scalable commercial products. Integrate consumer insights, trend analysis, and technology scouting into the innovation process to anticipate and shape future demand. Lead world‑class product development, scale‑up, and commercialization capabilities, leveraging advanced processing and packaging technologies. Ensure quality, safety, and regulatory standards that protect brand equity and ensure compliance across global markets. Drive operational excellence by applying project management frameworks to deliver on‑time, in‑budget, and high‑impact launches. Oversee intellectual property strategy, safeguarding innovation pipelines. Lead, inspire, and develop a high‑performing R&D and Innovation team across multiple technical disciplines. Establish organizational structures, processes, and KPIs to maximize innovation output and business impact. Cultivate external partnerships with suppliers, academic institutions, start‑ups, and research organizations to expand innovation capability. Qualifications Degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field strongly preferred. 10+ years progressive R&D experience in the food & beverage industry, preferably in RTD beverages. Proven success in team leadership, setting strategy, and delivering innovation pipelines across both retail and foodservice channels. Demonstrated ability to partner with culinary professionals and foodservice operators to drive product innovation. Strong business and financial acumen with experience integrating R&D strategy into corporate P&L objectives. Expertise in project management methodologies, with a track record of bringing complex, cross‑category innovation to market. Extensive knowledge of safety, regulatory frameworks, ingredient technologies, packaging systems, and shelf‑life management. Experience in Food and Beverage Manufacturing and Food and Beverage Quality Standards. Exceptional professional presence, communication, and influencing skills; able to engage at our Executive Leadership level and inspire at the plant floor. New Orleans, LA – Salary $155,000 – $410,000 – posted 2 weeks ago. #J-18808-Ljbffr