A R&D manager for the culinary section of a restaurant or food manufacturing company works to improve the food quality the company produces for its customers. The R&D manager identifies opportunities to improve existing processes or products or by introducing new ones. This position also requires innovative thinking to generate new ideas for improvement. The R&D manager needs good people skills to work with project planning and execution, and a willingness to keep pace with changing knowledge.
Process/Product Development Responsibilities
The culinary R&D manager creates new recipes and food items to feature in regular and special menus for customers. R&D managers alter ingredients and recipe formulations to make existing menu options tastier for customers. Managers also ensure process efficiency in the food department and develop new processes or implement improvements in existing processes. Based on inputs from the food department, R&D managers develop new ideas for process and product improvement, and ensure improvement compliance with organization's food, safety and budget standards with interdepartmental assistance. R&D managers prepare project plans describing project objectives, resources required and phases of execution.
Supervisory Role
R&D managers lead teams on product or process development. Job duties involve monitoring and ensuring process and equipment efficiency of the food department. R&D managers help maintain hygienic conditions in the food department and conduct audits to assess food safety and quality compliance and reports discrepancies to management.
Evaluation Duties
The R&D manager monitors customer feedback and project costs including labor, equipment and other resources involved, to assess the profits made by the new project. She evaluates existing food equipment and procedures regularly for efficiency and recommends changes, such as upgraded equipment or implementing new technologies for procedural improvements.
Other Duties
In testing new processes or products, the R&D manager maintains accurate paperwork describing the purpose of testing, and activities undertaken for testing such as procedures and equipment used. He coordinates with other departments for training employees and assists in the preparation of training materials. Keeping abreast of food industry practices and latest technologies in the field is also part of the job; the manager attends industry seminars and workshops, and studies industry publications such as journals and magazines.
Tags: food department, department managers, efficiency food, efficiency food department, existing processes