Papa Johns · 6 hours ago
Manager, R&D Dough Platforms
Louisville, KY
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior LevelPapa John's is a leading pizza delivery company that values diversity as a strength. The Manager of Research & Development for Dough Platforms is responsible for overseeing dough systems across the supply chain, ensuring quality and performance through technical expertise and cross-functional collaboration.
Restaurants
Responsibilities
Own and continuously improve dough formulations, ingredient specifications, and process standards across the supply chain
Lead formulation enhancements focused on quality, consistency, cost, scalability, and manufacturability
Serve as the primary dough subject-matter expert for supply chain plants nationwide
Design and lead bench, pilot, plant, and field trials for formulation, ingredient, and process changes
Support Beginning–Middle–End (BME) testing and data-driven commercialization decisions
Translate technical findings into executable standards, training, and plant guidance
Support manufacturing sites through troubleshooting, process optimization, recalibration sessions, compliance reviews, and technical audits
Lead field-level technical training for plant, QA, and operations teams
Partner with plant leadership to resolve chronic dough performance issues and elevate technical capability
Partner with Culinary to ensure customer expectations and brand intent are embedded in dough development decisions
Support culinary-led innovation initiatives with technical feasibility assessments and manufacturing pathways
Participate in sensory testing and data interpretation
Lead a cross-functional supplier ecosystem across ingredients, equipment, and packaging. Evaluate emerging technologies and ingredients with a Design-to-Value (DtV) mindset
Support supplier qualification, capability assessments, and performance optimization
Support development and commercialization of new dough platforms, including frozen dough balls and par-baked products
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives tied to yield, waste reduction, and process stability
Develop technical documentation, standards, and training materials
Present technical findings and recommendations to senior leadership
Qualification
Required
Deep dough science knowledge
Experience in manufacturing execution
Accountability for dough formulation and processing performance
Ability to improve dough formulations, ingredient specifications, and process standards
Experience in leading formulation enhancements focused on quality, consistency, cost, scalability, and manufacturability
Expertise in conducting bench, pilot, plant, and field trials
Ability to support data-driven commercialization decisions
Experience in translating technical findings into executable standards and training
Ability to troubleshoot and optimize manufacturing processes
Experience in leading technical training for plant, QA, and operations teams
Ability to partner with plant leadership to resolve dough performance issues
Experience in collaborating with culinary teams on dough development
Ability to support culinary-led innovation initiatives
Experience in sensory testing and data interpretation
Ability to lead a cross-functional supplier ecosystem
Experience in supplier qualification and performance optimization
Ability to support development and commercialization of new dough platforms
Experience in continuous improvement initiatives tied to yield and waste reduction
Ability to develop technical documentation and training materials
Experience in presenting technical findings to senior leadership
Company
Papa Johns
Papa Johns seeks people who have an entrepreneurial spirit and share our philosophy for success.
Founded in 1984
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Papa Johns has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2021 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Ricky Warman
CEO
Rob Lynch
President and CEO
Recent News
2023-11-04
2023-11-02
2023-11-02
Company data provided by crunchbase