R&D Team Manager drinks

• You will craft premium recipes like a gourmet chef: based on both knowledge and taste. From concept to production-ready recipe, for private label clients and our own brands. This role spans from strategy to hands-on work in the lab, with the latter taking up more than half of your time.
• Together with Tim and the team, you will document the knowledge he has built up over the years: recipes, extraction methods, and the science behind why things work the way they do.
• In collaboration with the NPD (New Product Development) Manager, you will structure the development process. The NPD Manager handles client and marketing briefs, while you translate these into planning, trial batches, and clear go/no-go milestones.
• You will work with a wide range of raw materials, from our own flavor and functional extracts to juices, concentrates, and new ingredients, while also improving existing products.
• You will explore new ingredients and market trends, research their availability, and build a network of reliable suppliers and sources.
• You will lead a part-time R&D Specialist and an independent part-time food technologist. You will delegate tasks, manage the schedule, and ensure projects are completed.
• You are the vital link between R&D, production, and commerce. You ensure that what is conceived in the lab can be efficiently produced and sold. You will define how we document, specify, and release products, and you will work with our founder and the COO to shape the long-term R&D strategy.

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• You hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree in food technology, food science, or food innovation.
• You have at least 3 years of experience in food or beverage product development, and you have successfully scaled products from the lab to production.
• You have at least one year of experience in people management or leading complex, cross-disciplinary projects. You possess excellent project management skills.
• You are process-driven while also bringing creativity to the role.
• You are familiar with pasteurization, Brix, and pH, as well as food legislation: food safety (HACCP) and the regulations regarding composition and novel foods.
• Experience with juices, concentrates, or extracts is a plus.
• Experience at a co-packer or a small beverage brand is a plus.
• You have good verbal and written English skills. 
• You will work 40 hours per week: 4 days at our factory in Amsterdam-Noord and 1 day from home if you prefer. 
• You are creative and solution-oriented when dealing with challenging circumstances, and you dig deep until you understand exactly why a recipe works the way it does.
• You have excellent communication skills.

• A gross monthly salary between €4,200 and €4,750 for a 40-hour work week, with a permanent contract.
• 25 vacation days and 8% holiday pay.
• A pension scheme starting January 1, 2027.
• A department you get to shape yourself. You will define how R&D operates here two years from now.
• Short lines of communication: you report to Tim and have a direct line to CEO Evelien and interim COO Jeroen. 
• A vegetarian lunch at the factory every day, and you get to be the first to taste what comes out of the lab.