Director of Product Excellence at Bakerly LLC – Easton, Pennsylvania

About our company:

Bakerly, a happy family-owned company, is proud to be home to one of the fastest-growing brands in the US food industry! We are a baked goods manufacturer that emphasizes delicious, premium, and authentic recipes using only the very best ingredients. Our offices located in Miami, FL, Easton, PA, and San Antonio, TX, will make you feel right at home. Please visit our website to learn more about our delicious French crêpes, golden chocolate croissants, fluffy pancakes, and our large range of outstanding French brioches.

Job Description:

Scope – Purpose of the position

The Director of Product Excellence leads Research and Development, Product & Process, and Regulatory while working closely with Plant Operations, Quality, Engineering, and Procurement.

The mission consists of making sure new products scale well, and existing products run reliably, reducing technical surprises, helping teams solve product- and process-related problems, and building stronger systems so we improve batch after batch).

This is a senior, hands-on technical leadership position and a highly cross-functional role. Its success depends on the ability to work closely and effectively with all impacted departments — Production Quality, Engineering, Procurement, Commercial, and Finance. Progress in this role will not come from authority alone, but from strong relationships, credibility, and alignment.

Lead Product and Packaging Research and Development

· Lead and develop the R&D team

· Bring more structure to how we develop and launch products and packaging

· Improve how we move from lab trials to plant production

· Drive both innovation and smart cost optimization

· Make sure recipes and packaging options are designed for real manufacturing conditions

· Use sensory and benchmarking in a practical way to guide decisions

· Work closely with Procurement to improve ingredient quality, cost, and supply security

· Partner with Engineering to ensure products, packaging and equipment work well together

Strengthen Product & Process Performance

· Partner with Engineering to ensure products, packaging and equipment work well together

· Empower production teams to master product launches as well as line trials.

· Help adjust formulations and processes when needed

· Improve understanding of how recipes behave on the line

· Reduce variability linked to product design

· Support root cause analysis when issues are related to formulation or process setup

· Contribute to continuous improvement in product-related losses

Supporting Quality & Compliance

· Build quality into product development from the start

· Ensure strong technical alignment before launches

· Anticipate regulatory changes and assess their impact

· Consolidate product- and process-related quality KPIs

Requirements:

· 10–15+ years in food manufacturing (bakery or similar process-driven categories preferred)

· Strong experience in product development and plant scale-up

· Solid understanding of process behavior on industrial lines

· Experience working closely with Operations and Quality teams

· Knowledge of FSMA and GFSI standards (SQF, BRC, IFS)

· Real plant-floor experience

Preferred Qualifications

· Experience building or strengthening technical teams

· Multi-plant exposure

· Proven track record improving launch performance, reducing waste, or increasing process stability

Job Type

Full-time, in-person

Location

Easton, PA

Benefits and Perks:

· Competitive salary and performance-based bonus incentives.

· Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance packages.

· Employer-paid life insurance and long-term disability

· Flexible spending accounts (FSA).

· Additional supplemental insurance program offered, including life, critical, accidental, short-term disability

· Free stress-management counseling and discounts on health and fitness products.

· Generous PTO policy and 401k plan with a 3% employer match.

· 9 paid company holidays

· 40% discount on all company products.

We are committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace, free from discrimination. Our recruitment process is based solely on individual qualifications and skills, without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. We adhere to all applicable laws and regulations regarding non-discrimination in employment.