R&D Samples Coordinator at Custom Ingredients, Inc. – San Clemente, California

Position Summary and Purpose: The R&D Samples Coordinator supports the intake, planning, coordination, and tracking of flavor development and application projects within the R&D department.

The Samples Coordinator serves as a central point of coordination between R&D and cross-functional teams, ensuring project requirements, schedules, and deliverables are clearly communicated and tracked from project intake through completion. This role enables technical teams to focus on development work while maintaining visibility, structure, and on-time execution.

Essential Functions:

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Support intake, and assignment of R&D projects from Sales and internal stakeholders
• Coordinate shipments to customers for all flavors and application samples.
• Maintain and organize inventory of shipping and consumable supplies.
• Retrieves information as requested from records, email, and other related documents, prepares written summaries of data when needed.
• Monitor project progress, identify risks or delays, and escalate issues as needed
• Coordinate communication between R&D, Sales, Quality, and Customer Service
• Schedule, facilitate, and document project meetings; prepare agendas, notes, and action items
• Maintain accurate project documentation, records, and status updates
• Provide clear, non-technical project status updates and reports to stakeholders
• Support regulatory and quality documentation tracking in coordination with appropriate teams
• Assist with workload visibility, reporting, and R&D process improvements

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Strong organizational and time-management skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities concurrently
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work effectively with both technical and non-technical teams
• Strong attention to detail in documentation and tracking
• Ability to identify scheduling risks or missing information

Physical Demands:

The physical responsibilities described here must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, stand, bend, as well as talk and hear. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision. Must be able to regularly use hands to handle or feel objects, tools, or controls, reach with hands and arms, and climb stairs. The position requires the ability to occasionally lift, push, or pull office and lab products and supplies up to 25 pounds.

Working Conditions:

The position works in an office and lab setting. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and filing cabinets, and standard lab equipment such as Epson printers. The noise level in the work environment will be moderate.

Position Type / Expected Hours of Work

• This is a full-time position. Standard days and hours of work are Monday - Friday, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.

Education and Experience:

• High school diploma required, Bachelor’s degree in food science, Chemistry, Business, Project Management, or a related field preferred
• 1-2 years of related experience in project coordination, operations, or administrative support required
• Exposure to R&D, food & beverage, or ingredient development environments preferred