Senior Manager, Research and Development – Tortilla - San Antonio, TX

Posted 2 days ago

missionhiresSan Antonio (TX)

Natural Sciences Managers Tortilla Manufacturing

SENIORITY

Manager

SALARY

$23,000 per year

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About the role

Mission Hires is seeking a Senior Manager, R&D – Tortilla to lead and scale our tortilla product development function. This people‑first leader will manage a team of scientists, own project prioritization and flow, and act as the primary technical and project contact across Sales, Category/Marketing, Operations, Quality, Purchasing, suppliers, and customers. The role blends hands‑on bakery/tortilla technical expertise with cross‑functional leadership, commercialization, and continuous improvement to deliver high‑quality, manufacturable products on time. This is a 5‑day, on‑site role in San Antonio with up to ~50% travel and a $23K bonus target.

Responsibilities:

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of R&D scientists and coordinators; provide technical guidance and make critical decisions on feasibility, direction, and execution
Own end-to-end product and process development from concept through commercialization for tortilla and grain-based products
Evaluate, prioritize, and assign project requests based on capabilities, workload, and timelines; coordinate resources with other R&D leaders
Track and ensure accurate, timely documentation of formulas, specs, and project records across internal systems
Serve as the primary communication link among R&D, Sales, Marketing/Category, Operations, Quality, and Purchasing
Conduct regular team and 1:1 check-ins; set goals, address challenges, give feedback, and drive next steps
Develop professional development plans; foster a high-performance, growth-oriented team culture
Participate in customer-facing planning sessions; assess feasibility, align on objectives, and lead follow-through to commercialization
Provide hands‑on technical leadership in plant trials, process evaluations, troubleshooting, and continuous improvement
Advance formulations, processing technologies, quality attributes, and specifications in collaboration with suppliers and internal partners
Optimize existing products from bench to scale-up and through commercialization to improve quality, cost, and manufacturability
Represent R&D in presentations to customers and industry groups; communicate progress and technical rationale effectively
Conduct performance evaluations; oversee staffing decisions and role definition for direct reports
Ensure adherence to GMPs and relevant industry standards in development and scale-up environments
Perform other duties as assigned and travel as needed (up to ~50%) to plants, customers, and suppliers

Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Baking Science, or related technical field (advanced degree preferred)10+ years of R&D and/or Technical Services experience in food manufacturing with strong, hands‑on commercial tortilla experience (must‑have baked products/tortillas)
Proven leadership managing technical teams, including coaching, workload planning, and performance management
Demonstrated success leading projects from concept through launch and commercialization
Experience collaborating with customers, suppliers, co‑manufacturers, or assemblers to develop and commercialize new products
Strong understanding of scientific principles in food product development and broad knowledge of food ingredients (grain-based expertise strongly preferred)
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and related software tools; strong documentation discipline
Excellent problem‑solving skills; ability to support plant teams with technical troubleshooting and process optimization
Familiarity with food manufacturing environments and tortilla‑processing operations; working knowledge of GMPs and industry standards
Strong awareness of emerging trends in food science, ingredient technology, and consumer preferences
Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills; ability to translate between technical and commercial stakeholders
Proven ability to manage complex, concurrent projects and competing timelines
Ability to train and transfer knowledge to Operations and QA; effective cross‑functional collaboration
Strong organizational, delegation, and priority‑setting skills; customer‑ and supplier‑facing professionalism
Willingness to work on‑site 5 days/week in San Antonio and travel up to approximately 50% based on business needs
Ability to occasionally lift up to 15 pounds and work in manufacturing environments with variable conditions

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