Product Development Manager

Location: New York City

Who We Are: Banza reimagines your favorite comfort foods, like pasta, pizza, mac & cheese, and waffles, using chickpeas. Why? Because we know chickpeas aren’t just delicious, they’re also one of the most nutritious and sustainable foods. Yet 80% of the country isn’t eating enough of them. Our mission is to inspire people to eat more chickpeas and other beans, making a positive impact on human health and the environment. We’ve been named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of the Year, Adweek’s Best Food Brand, and are proud to have fans at Good Morning America, The New York Times, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit, and more.

Your Mission: We are looking for an entrepreneurial Product Development Manager to join our team and manage product optimization & new product development across our product portfolio. You will oversee the renovation of our current products and partner cross-functionally to launch new products that embody Banza’s mission and values. You will be tasked with ensuring the absolute best product hits shelves, while managing timelines, sensory and cost inputs, cross-functional partners, and long-term strategy. You will work closely with the Senior Vice President of Product and other product team members to ensure our products are the best they can be.

What You’ll Do 

• Lead all R&D projects related to the sensory optimization and new SKU development for our in-market product lines 
• Co-author new product briefs for new projects, integrating nutritional, sensory & cost targets, in partnership with Brand Management
• Partner with the R&D team to coordinate & execute benchtop prototyping for new and existing products
• Partner with Supply Chain to coordinate & execute line trials to validate performance at scale
• Build and maintain a close partnership with manufacturing & supplier partners to ensure successful product outcomes
• Partner with the Sensory team to design & execute sensory analyses during development, help guide methodology based on project goals, and leverage results to make data-driven decisions
• Work closely with the Quality team to create & maintain product specifications, ensuring manufacturing partners are consistently producing to specification
• Source ingredients and documentation for development purposes and commission lab analyses to guide key decisions like shelf life, nutritionals and more
• Lead technical research projects with external partners (ex. Glycemic index analyses) to understand the positive impact of Banza products and inform external facing claims
• Manage the systems and processes that keep the Product Development team running - including Genesis and associated nutritional documentation, new ingredient onboarding, lab test results database and more

Who You Are:

• 5-8+ years of professional experience in food/beverage CPG product development
• Master’s degree (MSc, Master’s of Food Science, MEng) or equivalent experience and training
• Have successfully worked cross-functionally to manage product optimization projects and taken consumer products from idea to production 
• Strong communicator with project management experience
• Experience working with gluten-free products, extrusion, or spray-dried cheese preferred
• Adaptable and autonomous; able to adhere to ambitious timelines and able to translate technical concepts into strategic business decisions
• Organized and efficient, with a track record of managing information and designing processes to make speedy, data-driven decisions 
• Confident, passionate, and high commitment 
• Ability to travel 10%+
• Ability to go into our Midtown office at least 3x per week
• Valid driver’s license and ability to drive required (car not required), particularly for manufacturing site visits
• Passionate about what Banza’s doing!

To Apply: Write a cover letter describing why you want to join Banza and why you would be an excellent fit for this role (yes, we actually read every cover letter!) and then apply directly to this posting. 

We're aware of the research showing that historically underrepresented groups are less likely to apply for a job if they don't believe that they meet all of the criteria. Do you hesitate to submit an application because you believe you need to check every box? Please apply anyway with a thoughtful cover letter! We would love to hear from you to discuss how you can help us build a great team at Banza.

Compensation: 

Our salary ranges are based on verified market data and our philosophy of paying competitively for our size and industry. Individual pay rate decisions are based on a number of factors, including qualifications for the role, experience level, skillset, geographical location and balancing internal equity relative to peers at the company.  We expect the majority of the candidates who are offered roles at our company to fall within the range based on these factors. The salary band for this role is $105,000-$125,000. The range is for the expectations as laid out in the job description; however, we are often open to a wide variety of profiles and locations. Any updates to the salary range or considerations based on your experience and location will be communicated to you as a candidate.

Perks and Benefits: 

• Equity in Banza 
• Annual Bonus 
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance starting day 1: Banza pays 80% of the monthly premiums for employees and 70% for dependents
• One Medical Membership
• Short Term Disability and Life Insurance  
• Flexible Spending Account 
• Commuter Benefits 
• 401(k) 
• Paid Time Off: 20 vacation days, 10 holidays, 6 sick days, 2 personal days, and a birthday day off
• Extended Leave: Short-Term Disability, Parental Leave, and other Paid Family Leave. Support provided by our end-to-end leave management partner, Sparrow
• New Parents: 12 weeks of paid parental leave plus additional optional leave time to add, and 4 weeks of flexible return to work arrangements. 
• Breast milk shipping service for traveling team members provided by Milk Stork
• Monthly fitness, internet and phone stipends 
• Monthly lunch stipend to encourage team member connection
• Annual education stipend 
• Home office set-up stipend 
• Unlimited Pasta, Rice & Mac
• $500 annual stipend to purchase our pizza and waffles, wherever they're sold
• Quarterly snack box for remote employees 
• Lively NYC office stocked with snacks and beverages 
• Quarterly in-person and remote events 

Our Commitment: Banza is committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. To achieve our mission of inspiring people to eat more chickpeas and other beans, we greatly benefit from a range of perspectives, which comes from diversity of all types, at all levels of the organization. Facilitating diversity and inclusion is the smart thing for our business. So we strongly encourage women, veterans, people with all abilities, people of color, and gender nonconforming candidates to apply.

Banza is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. Banza will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories consistent with legal requirements.

Banza participates in E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States. As a participating employer, we provide the federal government with Form I-9 information to verify work authorization. For more information about E-Verify, please visit www.e-verify.gov.

If you have any questions, please email jobs@eatbanza.com.