Associate R&D Manager

Overview Purpose: Dole Packaged Foods is a purpose led organization that is a champion of accessible fruit nutrition and builds a brighter future for people through the goodness of fruit. At Dole, our culture is uniquely driven by core Values. Our commitment to these Values transforms our work into a meaningful journey toward a brighter future together. Here, you'll be part of a respectful, inclusive culture that deeply values our colleagues, customers, and global communities. We strive for excellence, empowering each other to confidently overcome challenges, continuously learn, and achieve world-class results. Guided by unwavering integrity, our actions consistently reflect our commitment to always doing what's right, fostering lasting trust and strong relationships. Through a spirit of collaboration, we cultivate positivity, generosity, and genuine teamwork, enabling collective success toward our One Dole Purpose. Our innovative spirit leads directly to meaningful outcomes and business success. The Associate Manager is responsible for supporting the R&D team in delivering innovation that will contribute to volume growth in all potential channels and that will help us realize our mission of providing access to health and nutrition for more than one billion people. All our innovations are based on our beliefs, including: Nutrition: Fruit-forward product portfolio Environment: Consumer-facing packaging designed to be sustainable by 2030 The innovation funnel will include a combination of projects designed to sustain growth of our “core” products (ingredients, beverages, frozen etc.) but may also include expanding into new categories identified as “white space” opportunities by the business. This role provides flexibility to work in a hybrid environment of home and our Westlake Village, CA office. (Hybrid is defined as 3 times per week in the office). Responsibilities Primary Accountabilities: Support the R&D team in the delivery of the innovation pipeline in partnership with cross functional teams. Manage assigned projects (L0–L3) through the project management / stage gate process, delivering on defined scope, timelines, and objectives. Provide technical input on product feasibility, including recommendations for internal (make) versus external (buy) development approaches. Support management of third party product and packaging development partners, where required, to develop, evaluate, and test products. Work collaboratively with Procurement to support selection and engagement of appropriate third party manufacturing partners. Support product, process, and packaging development activities, including learning and applying packaging models, testing methodologies, and packaging fundamentals. Own project level COG targets, supporting development of cost assumptions and identifying project level cost savings opportunities under guidance. Support specification development and maintenance for formulations and…