Technical Services Lead

Role overview

Title: Technical Services Lead

Department: Research & Development

Reports to: VP, Research & Development

Experience: 3–6 years in food product development or technical services

Location: Remote, US-based, with regular travel to co-manufacturers

The Technical Services Lead makes sure everything is in place to make Khloud Foods' products correctly and consistently. Once R&D approves a formula, this person turns it into accurate specs, batch sheets, Nutrition Facts panels, and system records. They also run the materials, samples, shelf-life, and supplier work that keeps projects moving.

Technical Services owns the documentation, data, and logistics that R&D depends on for decision-making, and works daily with R&D, Quality, Regulatory, Procurement, co-manufacturers, and suppliers.

Key responsibilities

Specifications and formula documentation

• Manage product specification updates for finished goods, ingredients, and packaging, and keep the spec system current as formulas, suppliers, or claims change.

• Build and maintain batch sheets from approved formulas for pilot runs, plant trials, and production, scaled to each co-manufacturer's batch size and equipment.

• Set up products and Nutrition Facts panels in nutrition labeling software: compile nutrient data, run calculations, and route panels through Quality and Regulatory review.

• Set up new ingredients: collect spec sheets, allergen and nutrition data, certifications, and supplier documents, and enter them in the spec and nutrition systems and in our Monday and SharePoint trackers.

• Handle document requests from customers, retailers, and internal teams, such as specs, allergen statements, and certifications.

• Create and maintain FAQ documents that answer common product, ingredient, and process questions.

Materials and samples

• Manage material requests for bench, pilot, and plant work so ingredients and packaging arrive before trial dates.

• Handle sample requests from suppliers and for internal teams and retailers, and track them through delivery.

• Support materials readiness ahead of trial runs, including supplier document requests and communication with co-manufacturers.

• Coordinate trial sample logistics: pull, label, ship, and track samples from plant trials internal stakeholders, outside alebls.

Shelf-life program

• Run shelf-life studies: build pull schedules, hold weekly tastings, manage sample storage and retained samples, and log every timepoint.

• Analyze shelf-life data and support shelf life recommendations

Consumer testing support

• Coordinate logistics for consumer tests, including sample preparation, shipping, and questionnaire setup.

Vendor and supplier management

• Manage vendor relationships for ingredients, outside labs, and service providers, including document requests, issue resolution, and performance follow-up.

• Project-manage external supplier work outside our primary co-manufacturer, such as custom ingredient development and supplier-led trials, by setting timelines, tracking deliverables, and reporting status to R&D leadership.

• Partner with Director of Commercialization to inform R&D project timelines

This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Nutrition, Chemistry, or a related field.

• 3–6 years in food R&D, technical services, product documentation, or commercialization support in CPG.

• Hands-on experience writing and maintaining specifications

• Experience building Nutrition Facts panels with nutrition software such as Genesis or Food Label Maker, and working knowledge of FDA labeling rules.

• Experience building batch sheets and scaling formulas to production batch sizes.

• Experience setting up new ingredients and collecting supplier documentation (specs, allergen statements, certifications).

• Experience organizing shelf-life studies and analyzing the data in Excel

• Strong project management skills for tracking several supplier projects, sample requests, and material orders at once.

• Working knowledge of food safety and quality systems: HACCP, GMPs, SQF or BRC, allergen control.

Preferred

• Experience with popcorn, baked or fried snacks.

• Experience with high protein or better for you products.

• Experience building technical project management processes in a emerging, high-growth company

• Experience in supplier quality documentation management

Competencies and Working Conditions

Core competencies

• Accuracy: specs, panels, and batch sheets are right the first time, because errors reach labels and plants.

• Organization: keeps samples, materials, shelf-life pulls, and documents tracked and on schedule.

• Follow-through: chases suppliers and vendors until requests are closed.

• Data skills: turns shelf-life and ingredient data into clear summaries R&D can act on.

• Service mindset: makes R&D, Quality, and co-manufacturers faster by removing technical friction.

Working conditions

• Remote work, with occasional visits to pilot plants and production facilities, including exposure to allergens and PPE requirements.

• Travel of about 10-20% for internal meetings, trial support, and supplier visits.