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Associate Manager, Product Development and Innovation

New York City, NY

About The Role:

As the Associate Manager, Product Development and Innovation, you will lead the end-to-end process of bringing innovative products to life from ideation to launch. With a strong focus on customer needs and brand alignment, you’ll manage the development and commercialization of new and renovated products, ensuring they meet our quality, cost, and timeline goals. You will serve as a cross-functional driver, partnering with teams across the organization to turn great ideas into real products. 

What You’ll Do:

  • Lead the development of new products from ideation to launch, collaborating with manufacturing partners to transform concepts from benchtop samples and trial runs into full-scale commercial production 
  • Act as the R&D lead throughout the product launch process, working with all internal and external stakeholders to ensure a successful, on-time launch
  • Understand the needs of our customer. Conceptualize and develop products that solve for those needs and align with Little Spoon’s brand vision and values
  • Collaborate with operations to identify, vet and onboard suitable external manufacturing partners 
  • Work with FSQA and regulatory to ensure our rigorous quality standards are met 
  • Partner with insights on consumer testing throughout the development process to ensure we’re delivering products that meet the needs and preferences of our customers
  • Work collaboratively with finance and analytics to develop COGS models and determine product pricing 
  • Identify opportunities for improvement among existing product lines and lead renovation projects
  • Work with operations and FSQA to mitigate supply issues across existing product lines
  • Develop and execute shelf life testing protocols for new products including microbiological, analytical, and sensory tests 
  • Support the implementation and maintenance of our Product Lifecycle Management system

What You’ll Need:

  • 5+ years of product development experience, ideally in the food/beverage industry
  • Degree in Food Science or similar
  • Experience working with a breadth of external manufacturers  
  • Proven ability to translate consumer insights into cutting-edge products
  • Extremely organized with great attention to detail 
  • Well-versed in managing multiple projects simultaneously, with the ability to prioritize and drive progress from concept through commercialization
  • Excellent research skills and a curious thinker with a creative approach to innovation

Additional Info:

  • Based in NYC at our Soho HQ
  • Requires travel to visit manufacturing partners and suppliers (up to 25%). Driver’s license required
  • Entrepreneurial environment with lots of room for growth and innovation
  • Flexible PTO policy 
  • Competitive compensation including equity and matched 401k
  • Comprehensive health benefits including medical, vision and dental

About Little Spoon:

Little Spoon is the fastest growing baby and kids food brand in the United States. On a mission to make parents’ lives easier and kids healthier, we are bringing the future of kids food to the modern parent through a first-of-its-kind platform of products delivered straight to your door. Little Spoon sets your child up for a lifetime of health, from a baby’s very first bites through to their big kid years, with a portfolio of freshly-made baby food, early finger foods, toddler, big kid meals and snacks. Since launch, the company has delivered more than 60 million meals and is responsible for feeding more than 2.9% of US babies, helping to simplify the lives of hundreds of thousands of parents. Learn more at LittleSpoon.com or find us on Instagram at @LittleSpoon.

  • Recent accolades include:
  • 🏆 Inc. Best Workplaces
  • 🚀 Inc. 100 Fastest Growing Companies
  • 🫶 Fast Company Brands That Matter
  • 🤩 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist
  • If you have a disability and require accommodation during our interview process, please let us know how we can help make the interview process fair to your needs.

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