McCain Foods · 11 hours ago
Sr. Director, R&D - Global Platform Innovation
Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$165K/yr - $220K/yr
10+ years expMcCain Foods is a global leader in the food industry, and they are seeking a Sr. Director, R&D - Global Platform Innovation to lead their global innovation platforms. This role involves setting the vision and strategy for innovation while managing a global team to drive growth and competitive advantage.
Food and BeverageFood ProcessingSnack Food
Hiring Manager
Andrea Hoerner
Responsibilities
Own and shape the global platform innovation strategy aligned to enterprise growth priorities, category strategies, and regional needs
Translate prioritized demand spaces into clear innovation roadmaps, platform strategies, and technical pathways
Ensure platforms are designed for global scalability, cost effectiveness, manufacturability, and long-term differentiation
Partner closely with Marketing, Insights, Culinary, Commercial, and Regional R&D teams to align innovation pipelines with consumer, customer, and business opportunities
Anticipate industry, technology, and competitive trends to inform future platform investments
Accountable for the end-to-end innovation portfolio, including breakthrough and platform extension opportunities
Establish prioritization, resourcing, and governance using Stage-Gate and portfolio management best practices
Enable timely, high-quality decision making by proactively managing risk, trade-offs, and dependencies
Drive strong linkage between front-end innovation and downstream development, scale-up, and commercialization
Clearly communicate portfolio status, risks, and value creation to senior leadership
Provide strategic leadership across product design, formulation, processing, scale-up, and commercialization
Partner with Advanced Technology & Innovation, Engineering, Quality, Procurement, and Manufacturing to integrate emerging and existing technologies
Champion design thinking, experimentation, and rapid learning cycles to accelerate innovation and reduce risk
Ensure technical rigor, data-driven decision making, and strong documentation standards
Strengthen global R&D capabilities, standards, and technical excellence
Build strong stakeholder networks across Marketing, Commercial, Operations, Supply Chain, and external partners
Lead globally while deeply understanding regional consumer, customer, and business needs
Enable two-way insight flow between global and regional teams to continuously strengthen platform strategies
Serve as a senior R&D representative in customer engagements, joint development initiatives, and strategic partnerships
Communicate complex technical and strategic concepts clearly to non-technical audiences, including senior leadership and customers
Influence outcomes through credibility, clarity, and alignment across competing priorities
Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing global team of Product Development Scientists and Process Engineers
Foster a culture of accountability, inclusion, learning, and continuous improvement
Coach and mentor talent, aligning development plans with organizational needs and succession planning
Set clear expectations, performance metrics, and feedback mechanisms to drive engagement and results
Actively develop next-generation R&D leaders with strong technical, strategic, and people leadership capabilities
Lead complex, cross-functional change initiatives that strengthen innovation ways of working
Clarify decision rights, accountabilities, and operating models across global teams
Navigate ambiguity and organizational complexity with sound judgment and confidence
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Engineering, or a related technical discipline required
Minimum of 10 years of R&D leadership experience within food, CPG, or manufacturing environments
Proven track record leading large, complex innovation portfolios and delivering scalable product platforms
Demonstrated success influencing senior leaders and driving enterprise-level outcomes
Strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate vision into executable plans
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills with executive-level presence
High learning agility and comfort operating in ambiguity
Courage to make difficult decisions, challenge constructively, and stand firm when needed
Skilled in conflict resolution, negotiation, and aligning diverse stakeholder perspectives
Deep understanding of the end-to-end product development lifecycle, from front-end innovation through commercialization
Strong foundation in formulation, ingredient functionality, processing, and scale-up
Working knowledge of GMP, HACCP, food safety, and regulatory requirements
Ability to integrate consumer desirability, technical feasibility, and business viability into decision making
Demonstrated application of data-driven approaches, experimentation, and continuous improvement
Ability to travel within North America and internationally up to 20%
Preferred
Master's degree, MBA, or equivalent preferred
Benefits
Health coverage (medical, dental, vision, prescription drug)
Retirement savings benefits
Leave support including medical, family and bereavement
Vacation and holidays
Company-supported volunteering time
Mental health resources
Company
McCain Foods
McCain Foods is a family-owned business and manufacturer of frozen potato products and a global leader in prepared appetizers and snacks.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
McCain Foods 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
2025 (4)
2024 (7)
2023 (3)
2022 (6)
2020 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$5.6MKey Investors
Australian Renewable Energy Agency
2025-09-30Grant· $5.6M
Leadership Team
Angelo Buscemi
IT Business Partner - Human Resource & Commercial
Kathi Masters- Johnson
Talent Acquisition Partner | Manufacturing - Rice Lake, WI
Recent News
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2026-02-04
2026-02-03
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