Vice President, Research & Development – North America

Position Summary:

This strategic leadership role will drive research and development excellence for a leading food ingredient company with operations throughout North America. The Vice President of R&D will provide visionary leadership as an active member of the North America Leadership Team, helping to drive and accelerate the company’s purpose-driven strategy.

Reporting to the North America President as well as to the Global VP of R&D, this executive will lead the transformation of R&D teams from a customer-responsive orientation to a proactive product leadership position. The position oversees a team of 7 direct reports and a total staff of 131 R&D employees across the region, managing an SG&A budget of $19.9M and a proactive innovation budget of $3.0M.

This leader will design, own, and drive the execution of the North America Innovation Roadmap, aligning emerging business needs with relevant technologies and solutions. Key responsibilities include championing food science capabilities, building nutritional expertise, ensuring portfolio optimization, and leading the nutritious and sustainable portfolio transformation.

Success in this position requires a seasoned food industry executive with a Master’s Degree in Food Science or related field and a minimum of 15 years of progressive experience, including at least 10 years in R&D/Innovation. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated success cultivating innovation, managing complexity, and building strategic partnerships across a multi-cultural and international environment.