Who You Are:
You are a hands-on innovation leader- someone who pairs strategic vision with a passion for rolling up your sleeves and bringing concepts to life. You have a deep love for natural, organic foods and a strong belief in the power of clean, nourishing products. A decisive and empathetic leader with quick problem-solving abilities, you empower your team, lead by example, and thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment. You’re comfortable working closely with founders, collaborating cross-functionally, and translating big ideas into world-class products that delight and nourish families everywhere.
The Task At Hand:
As Vice President of Research and Development, you will drive the innovation engine of Once Upon a Farm, owning the end-to-end R&D strategy while staying deeply connected to hands-on development. Reporting to the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer and working closely with executive leadership, you will lead all product innovation initiatives from concept to commercialization—blending strategic foresight with benchtop formulation, rapid prototyping, and agile iteration. You will build and manage a high-performing R&D team, providing mentorship, technical leadership, and career development, while shaping multi-year innovation pipelines aligned with brand goals, consumer insights, and emerging trends. You will champion cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Quality, Marketing, Finance, and Sales to bring crave-worthy, clean-label products to life with excellence and efficiency. Additionally, you will oversee plant trials, technical transfers, and commercialization scale-up, develop and implement best-in-class R&D processes, ensure regulatory and certification compliance (Organic, Non-GMO, Kosher, Clean Label), and optimize R&D budgets and vendor partnerships. Bringing creativity, agility, technical excellence, and a founder’s mindset to every project, you will help grow Once Upon a Farm’s category leadership, operational scalability, and social impact, while also representing the brand externally through industry thought leadership.
In This Role, You Will:
• Own and lead all product innovation initiatives from concept through commercialization, blending strategic foresight with hands-on benchtop formulation in the kitchen and lab.
• Build and proactively manage a multi-year innovation pipeline aligned with brand goals, consumer insights, emerging trends, and business needs.
• Lead a talented team of (currently 4) direct reports, providing mentorship, technical guidance, prioritization, and career development.
• Drive benchtop innovation, rapid prototyping, and ingredient exploration to bring crave-worthy, clean-label products to life.
• Partner directly with the Chief Innovation Officer and Company senior leadership team, contributing to high-level strategic conversations while operationalizing ideas with excellence and efficiency.
• Champion cross-functional collaboration, partnering closely with Operations, Quality, Marketing, Finance, and Sales to bring new products successfully to market.
• Develop and implement best-in-class R&D processes, including SOPs for innovation cycles, commercialization protocols, and sensory evaluation standards.
• Lead and oversee plant trials, technical transfer to manufacturing partners, commercialization scale-up, and continuous product improvement.
• Drive regulatory and certification compliance, including Organic, Non-GMO, Kosher, Clean Label, and other standards, ensuring products meet our commitment to clean, real food.
• Stay hands-on and detail-oriented, conducting critical analytical testing (pH, Brix, viscosity, nutritional analysis) and maintaining high standards for documentation and reporting.
• Quickly identify and solve technical challenges, ensuring recipe and manufacturing issues are rapidly diagnosed and addressed to maintain quality, timelines, and customer satisfaction.
• Infuse agility into the innovation process, ensuring responsiveness to changing business needs, consumer insights, and market dynamics.
• Own and optimize the R&D budget and resource allocation, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, and scalability as the business grows.
• Represent Once Upon a Farm externally, contributing thought leadership at conferences, panels, and industry groups.
• Infuse passion, creativity, and a founder’s mindset into every project and interaction, helping Once Upon a Farm grow its category leadership and social impact.
In This Role, You’ll Bring With You:
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Microbiology, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
• At least 15 years of progressive food & beverage R&D leadership experience, including launching clean-label, organic, or natural products.
• Deep technical expertise in benchtop formulation, process development, sensory evaluation, and commercialization.
• Strong experience working closely with founders or early-stage leadership teams; entrepreneurial mindset and high agility.
• Proven ability to lead small but mighty teams (~4 direct reports), balancing hands-on work with big-picture leadership.
• Excellent decision-making, prioritization, project management, and cross-functional communication skills.
• Solid knowledge of Microsoft Suite, Outlook, Slack, and other professional platforms.
• Deep passion for real food, organic farming, and creating a healthier planet through nutrition.
• Strong familiarity with Genesis, Flavor Studio, and related nutritional/ingredient software preferred.
• Experience working with co-manufacturers and navigating plant trials and commercialization processes.
• Desire to contribute to a dynamic high-growth, purpose-driven work environment with changing priorities and bold goals.
• Up to 30% travel required: Although this role is a remote work-from-home position, we “Farmers” do meet as a company and/or as a department a few times a year. Anticipate possible travel for plant trials, innovation sessions, and company meetings.
• Previous exposure to cross-functional work between Sustainability and Product Development preferred.
• Must reside in the United States to be considered for this position.
• Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Compensation:
• Full-Time, Exempt, Salaried
• The anticipated salary range for this position is $217,700.00 - $252,532.00. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a few factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Certain positions are eligible for additional forms of compensation such as bonuses, stipends, equity, and role-specific perks.
Additional:
• Remote-first work environment
• Annual Bonus
• 401(k) program + 4% company match after three months
• New Hire Remote Life Stipend + annual Nourish and Nurture Allowance
• Monthly Cell and Internet Stipend
• Quarterly Farm-to-Fridge home deliveries and Employee Discounts
• New Parents: Up to 18 weeks of paid Parental Leave, Baby Steps Back To Work, 3 months’ supply of Once Upon A Farm products, and breast milk shipping service and support for those who travel after birth for the duration of your breastfeeding journey
• Unlimited Paid Time Off
• Paid Volunteer Time
• Paid Time Off to fulfill civic responsibilities including jury duty and voting in local, state, and national elections
• Medical Insurance for the employee covered at 100% on select plans with additional plan options at a reduced cost to the employee
• Vision and Dental Insurance covered at 100% for the employee and dependents
• Life insurance
• Flexible spending account (Medical & Dependent Care) and Health savings accounts for applicable plans
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• All other benefits, leaves, and insurance as required by law, based on your specific residence
• And so much more!
Who We Are
Our Purpose: Drive systemic improvement in childhood nutrition for a healthier, happier, and more equitable world.
Our Business: At Once Upon a Farm, a better story starts here. We're on a greater mission in providing organic, crave-worthy, snacks and meals for children of all ages. Our recipes are crafted with only the best organic ingredients – whole fruits and veggies, cold-pressed (our pouches), or freshly frozen (our meals) to perfection– to support your growing kids at every stage. Each of our organic, non-GMO, non-dairy recipes contains no added sugar and are free from artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives – just simple, real, nutritious snacks your entire family will love.
Once Upon A Farm is a purpose-driven brand made up of an inclusive group of individuals with diverse backgrounds, passions, and beliefs. Bring your whole self to your work at Once Upon A Farm, a proud equal-opportunity employer.
Once Upon a Farm, PBC, provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants in all company facilities without regard to race, color, religious creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, cast, citizenship status, pregnancy, childbirth, physical disability, mental and/or intellectual disability, age, military status or status as a Vietnam-era or special disabled veteran, marital status, registered domestic partner or civil union status, gender (including sex stereotyping and gender identity or expression), medical condition (including, but not limited to, cancer-related or HIV/AIDS-related), genetic information, or sexual orientation in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Please see our Careers page for the full JD: https://jobs.lever.co/onceuponafarm
