Director of R&D - Wholesale, Industrial, Foodservice and International in Salisbury

Perdue Foods has a goal of becoming the most trusted name in premium proteins by creating products for consumers and for retail and foodservice customers around the globe while changing the way animals are raised for food. It is part of Perdue Farms, a fourth-generation, family-owned food and agricultural business deeply rooted in tradition yet with a forward-thinking mindset. We believe that success starts with our people, and our culture is built on a foundation of teamwork, integrity, and respect, where every voice matters and everyone is encouraged to contribute to our shared goals. We are dedicated to creating a supportive, inclusive environment where associates feel valued and inspired to make an impact, both within the company and in the communities we serve. From promoting growth and development to prioritizing work-life balance, we’re committed to helping our team members thrive.

Shape the future of food innovation at scale. As a leader within our WIFI business representing approximately 70% of Perdue’s annual volume you will drive the technical strategy, programs, and cross-functional R&D efforts that bring new products from concept to commercialization. In this highly visible role, you will partner across the organization to deliver breakthrough food innovations that fuel growth, optimize cost, elevate quality, and proactively manage risk. You’ll lead and align diverse teams to accelerate product development, translate consumer and market insights into actionable innovation, and ensure seamless execution from ideation through launch. This role is ideal for a strategic, forward-thinking leader who thrives in a fast-paced environment, influences across functions, and is passionate about delivering high-impact results that shape the future of the business.

The salary range for this position is $146,000.00 - $220,000.00 per year, based on experience and qualifications with annual bonus available (variable depending on performance). In addition to the base salary, Perdue offers a competitive benefits package, including medical/Rx, 401(k) with employer match after 1 year, critical illness, accident insurance, dental, vision, life insurance, optional group life insurance, short-term and long-term disability protection, flexible spending accounts and paid time off.

Principal Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Partner with leadership to set the technical consumer/customer strategy for assigned business segments; partners with Marketing and Commercial leadership to translate insights (demographics, usage, unmet needs, and trends) into an innovation and renovation pipeline with clear value propositions and technical feasibility.
• Own segment/portfolio technical strategic plan execution and multi-year roadmaps; defines priorities, success metrics, and resource models, and ensures execution through a disciplined operating cadence (stage-gate, KPI reviews, risk registers, and executive updates).
• Drive the technology strategy for the segment(s), including scouting, evaluation, and adoption of new ingredients, processes, packaging, and manufacturing technologies; build external partnerships (suppliers, co-manufacturers, academia) to accelerate innovation, quality, and cost competitiveness.
• Direct program execution and optimizes resource allocation across multiple projects and teams with limited guidance; champion and continuously improve the NPD/stage-gate process, including governance, capability building, and portfolio trade-off decisions. Provide end-to-end scope, timelines, and resource/budget estimates for major initiatives.
• Lead competitive and market landscape assessments and translates findings into technical strategy, differentiated product design, and risk/opportunity recommendations for senior leadership.
• Ensure best-in-class safety, regulatory, and food-safety/GMP compliance culture across labs, pilot plant, and manufacturing environments; establishes governance, audit readiness, and corrective-action prioritization for the segment portfolio.
• Build and lead high-performing teams; set expectations, develop leaders, and drive succession planning and capability development. Manage 4 or more direct and support multiple indirect team members through ongoing feedback, performance management, and organizational design improvements.
• Partner with Marketing, Operations, Quality/Food Safety, Supply Chain, and Finance to align priorities to business strategy; owns the integrated segment project portfolio (pipeline health, capacity planning, and delivery). Communicate status, trade-offs, and recommendations to executive stakeholders.
• Serve as the senior technical interface for cross-functional partners, customers, and key suppliers; lead critical issue resolution, decision forums, and escalation paths to protect timeline, quality, and brand equity for complex initiatives.
• Make and influence complex, high-impact technical and business decisions for assigned segments, balancing risk, cost, quality, speed-to-market, and regulatory considerations; define mitigation plans and ensure alignment with enterprise standards and policies.
• Support the management of budgetary line items for the segment portfolio (OPEX and, as assigned, CAPEX), assist with forecasting, vendor spending, and business case/ROI development; collaborate with Finance and Operations to help identify cost-to-win and margin improvement opportunities.

Minimum Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Meat Science or related discipline.
• 10+ years’ work-related experience.
• A minimum of 4 years’ experience at the management level.
• A minimum of 7 years’ relevant consumer products and food industry experience.
• Proven track record of new product development and commercialization.
• Must be an expert in the product development process from concept through commercialization.
• Outstanding cross-functional team player.
• Ability to translate customer/consumer needs and business objectives into innovative new product design requirements.
• Must be an expert in poultry processing and/or related food product systems.
• Excellent communication, detail orientation and organizational skills, along with excellent analytical and presentation skills.
• Prior supervisory and project management experience.
• Must be able to travel up to 25% of the time.

Preferred Education and Experience

• Master’s Degree/PhD.

Physical Requirements and Environmental Factors

• Position is mostly sedentary but may require occasional moving to other offices or buildings.
• May need to move light equipment or supplies from one place to another.
• May need to access files, supplies and equipment.
• Work activity is in an office, open-partitioned, cubicle environment.
• When in a plant environment: Exposure primarily consists of wet and moist floors which include metal and plastic grating surfaces.
• May be exposed to temperatures of 28 degrees to 100 degrees Fahrenheit with both ambient and 100% humidity.
• May handle products from 25 degrees to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
• May be exposed to noise ranges of 50 db to 110 db.
• May be exposed to all chemicals used in poultry, food, and processing facility.
• Must wear and use protective and safety equipment required for the job as directed by the Company.

Perdue Farms Inc. is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.