Director of Product Development - Innovation

Director of Product Development - Innovations

(position in Bakersfield, CA (no exceptions)

Who We Are: Califia Farms

We are Califia Farms (Califia, pronounced like California), the plant-powered food and beverage company of the future. Our mission is to innovate delicious plant-powered foods for mindful nourishment.

We are the fastest growing plant-based beverage company in the Natural Distribution Channel in the US & are rapidly expanding overseas in the UK and Asia and established category leadership in several categories.

Our approach to ingredient sourcing, manufacturing technologies and quality is key for product differentiation and enables us to continuously surprise our customers with unique, nutritious and enjoyable plant-based beverages.

To support our growth goals and continue to maintain our leadership in delivering uniquely differentiating products and packages, we are excited to expand talent and leadership to product and process technology areas.

Overview

The Director of Product Development will lead innovation and commercialization for Califia Farms portfolio of plant-based beverages, including plant-based milks, creamers, barista, coffees, ready-to-drink beverages, and adjacent platforms. This role is responsible for building and executing a forward-thinking innovation pipeline that delivers exceptional taste, functionality, nutrition, and scalability while aligning with brand positioning and financial targets.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in plant-based formulation, beverage processing (including aseptic / UHT), ingredient functionality (proteins, emulsifiers, stabilizers), and commercialization within both entrepreneurial and structured CPG environments, but very open to candidates with strong leadership skills from other food and beverage product categories.

This position is located at our Bakersfield, CA manufacturing facility - there is no negotiation on this; it is imperative the director sits at the plant.

Responsibilities

Innovation Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Develop and execute a multi-year innovation roadmap aligned with growth, margin, and brand objectives
• Identify whitespace opportunities across plant-based dairy alternatives, functional beverages, and emerging categories
• Translate consumer insights, sensory trends, and sustainability goals into differentiated product concepts
• Balance breakthrough innovation with renovation, cost optimization, and quality improvement initiatives

Plant-Based Beverage Formulation & Development

• Lead formulation of plant-based milks (oat, almond, soy, coconut, etc.), creamers, and RTD beverages
• Optimize protein systems, emulsification, hydrocolloid stabilization, sweetness systems, and flavor making
• Ensure products deliver on key functional attributes: foamability, heat stability (for coffee), mouthfeel, shelf stability and texture
• Drive nutritional targets (e.g., protein content, sugar reduction, fortification) while maintaining superior sensory performance

Commercialization & Scale-Up

• Oversee end-to-end stage-gate process from benchtop through pilot plant commercial production
• Lead scale-up for aseptic / UHT processing, homogenization, HTST, and co-manufacturing environments
• Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to ensure manufacturability, ingredient security, and cost targets
• Troubleshoot plant trials, manage first production runs, and resolve stability or quality challenges

Technical & Regulatory Oversight

• Ensure compliance with FDA regulations, labeling requirements, and claim substantiation (e.g., non-dairy, allergen-free, protein claims)
• Oversee shelf-life validation, packaging compatibility, and quality assurance alignment
• Evaluate emerging plant proteins, clean-label stabilizers, and sustainable ingredient innovations
• Maintain awareness of evolving regulatory and competitive landscape in plant-based beverages

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Marketing, Sales, Finance, Procurement, and Operations to align innovation with business objectives
• Present pipeline updates and commercialization plans to executive leadership
• Support pricing strategy and margin modeling through formulation and ingredient optimization

Team Development & Process Excellence

• Build and mentor a high-performing R&D and beverage development team
• Establish strong documentation practices, formulation databases, and technical standards
• Implement KPIs to track speed to market, cost targets, and innovation revenue contribution
• Foster a culture of curiosity, agility, and continuous improvement

Salary

Up to the $180,000’s

Benefits Available

Qualifications

Required

• BS degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field required; an advanced degree preferred
• 10+ years of product development experience in dairy and/or plant-based beverages (foods)
• 5+ years of leadership experience
• Proven track record launching commercialized dairy and / or plant-based beverages at scale

Preferred

• Prior experience at a large, established CPG company with exposure to structured innovation processes and national-scale commercialization
• Experience in dairy / dairy alternatives (oats, almond, soy, coconut, pea-based systems)
• Familiarity with barista functionality and coffee applications
• Sensory evaluation and consumer testing expertise
• Deep knowledge of plant protein systems, emulsions, stabilizers, sweeteners, and flavor systems - highly desired
• Experience with aseptic / UHT processing and co-manufacturing networks - is highly desired

Key Competencies

• Strong commercial and margin acumen
• Technical depth in beverage systems preferred
• Agile decision-maker in fast-paced GPC environments
• Cross-functional collaborator
• Data-driven and process-oriented
• Strategic thinker with exceptional discipline

Success Metrics

• Innovation-driven revenue growth
• On-time, on-budget product launches
• Margin improvement through formulation optimization
• Successful plant scale-ups with minimal quality deviations
• Team engagement and retention

This is a newly created position to support “white space” innovations

• If you’d like to hear more about this opportunity and others we are currently working on, please contact Kristine O’Sullivan at ***email_hidden***.

JO: 5.13.26KO