Project Manager, Beverage R&D

Company Overview

Gregory Packaging Inc. is a leading full-service provider of packaging, fill and finish, and value-added manufacturing for the beverage, food service, and portion markets. With state-of-the-art facilities across the United States, Gregory Packaging offers integrated capabilities in eco-friendly packaging formats, high-capacity bottling, aseptic processing, and turnkey production. As a market leader in 100% fruit juice and single-serve beverage solutions for K-12 schools and institutional foodservice, we are now expanding into functional, portion, and ready-to-drink beverage categories.

Our differentiated strength lies in our vertically integrated infrastructure, which enables rapid development of innovative beverages with sustainable packaging and optimized supply chain logistics. Join our team to lead the next generation of beverage innovation.

Position Summary

The Project Manager, Beverage R&D will lead formulation development, innovation pipeline planning, and cross-functional commercialization of new beverage products. This senior role requires technical depth in beverage formulation, end-to-end project leadership, and the ability to partner across packaging, processing, quality, marketing, and procurement to launch impactful beverages that meet evolving consumer needs.

The ideal candidate brings 5+ years of experience in the food and beverage industry, including leadership roles in product development, and a successful track record of bringing innovative beverages to market across multiple formats and categories.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead the strategic roadmap for new beverage development in line with Gregory Packaging’s growth priorities and market trends.
• Conduct consumer insights translation and competitive benchmarking to develop differentiated product concepts.
• Lead formulation development: select and optimize ingredients (flavor systems, sweeteners, stabilizers, functional ingredients), conduct bench- and pilot-scale testing, manage shelf-life and sensory validation.
• Lead scale-up to commercial manufacturing: collaborate with fill/finish operations, co-packers, packaging engineering, and QA to ensure successful product execution.
• Champion sustainable packaging innovations in partnership with packaging and manufacturing (e.g., lightweight PET, recycled content, portion packs).
• Manage cross-functional teams and stage-gate processes to deliver projects from ideation through to commercial launch.
• Ensure product designs meet regulatory requirements (FDA, FSMA, labeling), customer standards, and internal COGS targets.
• Evaluate and qualify new ingredients, vendors, co-packers, and technologies to support innovation.
• Lead knowledge sharing, documentation, and standardization of formulation libraries, process tools, and technical protocols.
• Provide technical mentorship and leadership to product development staff.
• Partner with marketing and sales to support customer presentations, product education, and post-launch evaluations.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Time-to-market for new beverage launches (target ≤ 12 months)
• COGS improvement or margin impact per product
• Number of new beverage SKUs commercialized annually
• Consumer satisfaction/sensory acceptance of launched products
• Sustainability impact (e.g., % recycled material, packaging weight reduction)

Qualifications & Experience

Required: - Bachelor’s degree in any relevant discipline (Food Science, Beverage Technology, Engineering, Chemistry, Business, or related fields). - Minimum 5 years of experience in the food and beverage industry. - Demonstrated success launching commercial beverage SKUs across various formats (e.g., bottle, can, portion pack). - Experience in functional ingredients, sweetener systems, natural flavor development, and shelf-stable beverage formulation. - Understanding of scale-up, packaging technologies, process engineering, and regulatory compliance. - Experience leading cross-functional project teams. - Familiarity with ingredient sourcing, cost modeling, and supplier management. - Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Key Competencies & Attributes

• Strategic mindset with the ability to integrate consumer insights, technical innovation, and commercial goals.
• Results-oriented with strong ownership, follow-through, and a bias toward action.
• Organized and process-driven while adaptable to changing priorities and customer needs.
• Strong leadership, team development, and mentoring capability.
• Creative, inquisitive, and driven to explore new ingredients, trends, and technologies.

What We Offer

• Leadership opportunity in a growth-oriented packaging and beverage company
• Exposure to end-to-end beverages and packaging innovation across institutional and retail markets
• Collaborative culture focused on excellence, innovation, and sustainability