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Research and Development (R&D) Manager

Butterball Farms, Inc.
Grand Rapids, MI
Description

Join a Mission That Matters – Enrich Lives with Butterball Farms

At Butterball Farms , we’re more than a world-class food manufacturer — we’re a company on a mission: to Enrich Lives . For over 60 years, we’ve proudly partnered with the world’s premier food brands to deliver innovative, value-added butter products. But our impact goes far beyond the food industry.

Recognized globally for our excellence and named one of West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies , we invest deeply in our people, our communities, and our future. From fostering innovation and personal growth to supporting local neighborhoods, we believe success starts with a strong, supportive workplace.

When you join Butterball Farms, you’re joining a team that values growth, innovation, and making a difference — together.

What We Offer

At Butterball Farms, we believe that when our people grow, our company grows. That’s why we’re proud to offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support your success — both on and off the job.

  • Opportunities for Growth & Advancement Build your career in an environment that encourages development and internal promotion.
  • Innovative & Inclusive Culture Join a workplace that celebrates innovation, continuous improvement, personal growth, and diversity.
  • Shift Premiums Competitive pay with additional premiums for 2nd and 3rd shift positions.
  • Paid Time Off Enjoy paid vacation and holidays to support work-life balance.
  • 401(k) with Company Match Plan for your future with our generous retirement savings program.
  • Tuition Reimbursement Continue your education with financial support for approved programs.
  • Access to The Source Get connected to community resources, support services, and more.
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Confidential support for personal, family, or work-related issues.
  • Comprehensive Benefits Plan Includes Medical, Dental, Vision, Critical Illness, Flexible Spending Accounts, Dependent Care, and Accident Insurance.

Key Responsibilities

  • Manage commercialization activities: converting lab/bench-top formulas to manufacturing scale.
  • Support customer interactions with professional, credible, and innovative ideas.
  • Collaborate across departments: sales, marketing, procurement, quality, and plant production.
  • Lead and support Innovation, R&D Ops, and Technology Teams.
  • Research and develop processes, ingredients, and packaging concepts for new products.
  • Maintain R&D formulation files, nutritional databases, and product information systems (Labelcalc).
  • Manage the sample request process (scheduling, generation, packaging, shipping).
  • Implement customer requests in formal portals (PLM, SafetyChain, Tracegains, Repositrak, Rizepoint, etc.).
  • Ensure new products are designed for food quality and food safety using Quality Systems approaches.
  • Align with engineering to research and identify needed equipment for process improvements.
  • Collaborate with purchasing to manage ingredient supply and substitutions.
  • Support sales by meeting with customers and presenting R&D innovations.
  • Contribute to food safety assessments and sensory panel testing.
  • Create recipes and formulations; solve production-related issues with creativity and innovation.
  • Study flavor science and ingredient functionality to advance product development.
  • Promote and uphold a culture of food safety and quality.

Requirements

We believe a successful R&D Manager will have the following qualifications:

Education / Certificates / Licenses / Experience

  • Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science (required).
  • Food Safety Training (preferred).
  • Minimum 7 years in Product Development or related discipline.
  • R&D or culinary experience required.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

  • Strong knowledge of food science, culinary science, and flavor applications.
  • Broad process and equipment knowledge for scaling up lab formulations.
  • Familiarity with ingredient functions, inventory management, and substitutions.
  • Proficiency with R&D and food industry systems (Labelcalc, PLM, SafetyChain, Tracegains, Repositrak, Rizepoint).
  • Understanding of cGMPs, food quality, and food safety practices.
  • Ability to manage multiple projects and maintain detailed formulation/nutritional databases.
  • Strong collaboration and leadership skills; able to lead cross-functional teams.
  • Excellent customer-facing communication skills with professional tone and temperament.
  • Creativity and innovation in product development and problem-solving.
  • Flexibility and willingness to share responsibilities and adapt to business needs.
  • Cultural alignment with guiding principles and commitment to a Food Safety Champion role.

Equivalent combinations of education and experience that demonstrate the required knowledge, skills, and abilities will be considered on an individual basis.

Essential Physical Requirements

(This role requires the following physical activities)

 Continuous (67–100% of the time):

  • Seeing
  • Standing (up to 8+ hours per shift)
  • Reaching
  • Lifting (up to 50 lbs)
  • Repetitive hand motions
  • Eye-hand coordination
  • Working at a consistent pace for extended periods
  • Reading and understanding work instructions

Frequent (33–66% of the time):

  • Walking
  • Talking
  • Hearing
  • Grasping
  • Bending at the waist
  • Twisting upper body
  • Climbing stairs
  • Problem-solving and interpreting instructions
  • Using general math skills (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)

Occasional (Up to 33% of the time):

  • Stooping
  • Crouching
  • Pushing
  • Kneeling
  • Additional reaching
  • Driving (if applicable)

Physical Effort

  • Frequent lifting and carrying of up to 10 lbs (sedentary)
  • Frequent lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling of up to 50 lbs (medium)
  • Occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling of up to 20 lbs (light)
  • Occasional lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling of up to 100 lbs (heavy) or more (very heavy)

Working Environment

This position is located in a production/processing environment , which may involve:

  • Cold temperatures ranging from 45°F with occasional exposure to freezer environments as low as -10°F
  • Exposure to manufacturing equipment and machinery
  • Standing and working on concrete floors for extended periods
  • Fast-paced, physically demanding tasks in a team-oriented setting
  • Adherence to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and safety protocols

DISCLAIMER: The above information on this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by the employee within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of any employee assigned to this job. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Butterball Farms, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer ( EEO/AA).
Posted 2025-08-30

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