Director of Product Development - Kalon Executive Search

Our client, a leader in nutritional supplements and sports is seeking a Director of Product Development to join their team in Salt Lake City, UT. This individual will be responsible for end to end negotiating within the Product Development life-cycle including but not limited to: manufacturing costs, raw material sourcing, product components and labels. This position identifies vendors to work with in creating new products, product lines, and brands. The Director, Product Development is responsible for ensuring product design is consistent with market trends, business objectives, and ensures product quality and efficacy. This person will also set the net payment terms for all vendors associated with Product Development and will manage multiple, complex projects and drive outcomes and optimal results.

Job Responsibilities:

• Drive product innovation, ensure the development and utilization of best practices in product and process development of new, improved, and cost-optimized formulations.
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Lead all aspects of the technical product formulation and process development from ideation through commercialization.
• Manage staff workload, give clear direction, and evaluate and develop performance.
• Execute the formulation of efficacious products with strategic vision, including desired benefits, COG targets, formula validation, and sustainable sourcing.
• Evaluate and negotiate product/ ingredient cost, build awareness, and communicate emerging trends in the global marketplace to manage potential supply issues, and market price fluctuations.
• Foster new and existing relationships with suppliers and contract manufacturers to develop and commercialize products to meet all product critical attributes and timelines.
• Evaluate vendor core competencies and competitive positioning to drive strategic sourcing goals.
• Collaborate with strategic partners to identify novel ingredients, products, and formats for various categories and propose new ideas for innovation.
• Execute initiatives with suppliers and contract manufacturers to ensure product quality and safety.
• Identify risks and create opportunities for product optimization to improve consumer experience while delivering on cost savings.
• Provide technical leadership on the scale-up, technical transfer, process development of new and existing products and oversee the seamless commercialization of new products with our co-manufacturing partners.
• Effectively troubleshoot and solve complex formulation & technical challenges in collaboration with contract manufacturers with speed and robustness.
• Establish regular communications stream and follow-up with all team/ project members.
• Understanding of industry domestic regulators (FDA 21 CFR, FTC, OTC) and other global regulations that impact product development.
• Partner with Marketing to develop new products to evaluate.
• Ensure supply chain continuity by effectively managing raw material substitutions and quality issues and/or product disruptions.
• Champion new strategies for the product development team for future platform growth in key consumer need areas.
• Manage the approval process (including timelines) for product design/development submissions and ensure vendors, the creative team and management are current on all steps of the process
• Prepare product formula documentation to send out for quotation and drive communication with co-manufacturers during the quotation and development process.
• Communicate goals and objectives and cascade to others, ensuring the workload is distributed appropriately to achieve goals and objectives
• Manage and oversee prototype organoleptic evaluations for new product concepts.
• Ensure well-organized documentation of all product development related activities.
• Stay current with the dietary supplement category, competition, formulation/processing technologies and nutritional ingredient trends and bring unique and relevant insights into the organization.
• Cultivate an energizing work environment that supports high-performance while ensuring efficiency.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• 10+ years of direct management experience and 10+ years of consumer product management experience. Product Development Experience a must.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Science, Pharmaceutical Science or related field preferred, or a combination of education and equivalent work experience.
• Excellent negotiation skills
• Effectively work in cross functional team environment
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Solutions-oriented and is comfortable working with ambiguity
• Strong ability to think critically to overcome potential business hurdles to complete tasks
• Ability to work in a constant changing environment
• Coach and develop direct reports
• Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)Experience with Google Business Suite (Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Forms) preferred

Compensation: $170,000—$220,000

If this sounds like the position you have been waiting for, please apply using the online application or the link below - all inquiries are strictly confidential. Our focus is to assist you to make your best next career move, and we will not use your information for any other purpose.

Kalon is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

www.kalonstaffing.com