Latest Job Opening for Food & Beverage Industry  Job #04146 About our client Our client is a privately owned manufacturer of authentic, ethnic food products. The company has been in operation for more than 25 years and has annual sales of over $50M. Position Location Director, Marketing and New Product Development Nearest Metro City: Wilmington, CA Salary Reports to Highly competitive package, commensurate with experience Management Responsibilities 1) Allocate (strategically) development resources among product categories to maximize total sales and profit 2) Maximize profitability of product offering – strategically considering implications of new products on revenues and costs 3) Work with the Vice President of Marketing on strategic planning and development of product categories 4) Oversee the development of Annual Product Development Plan 5) Work with the Vice President of Marketing and other managers of the Marketing Team on strategic planning and integration of the strategic and annual plan with customers, consumers, etc. 6) Oversee labor relations 7) Provide advice and counsel on personnel issues 8) Develop and lead the new Product Development Team on the planning and execution of new products and existing product improvements 9) Seek out and identify product as well as consumer behavior trends 10) Lead competitive product analysis and evaluate market opportunities based on the competitive landscape 11) Partner successfully with Marketing, Procurement, Operations, vendors, co-packers and other key partners to develop new products (as outlined in the annual marketing plan) 12) Participate and ensure extended team is successfully working within the cross-functional product management processes 13) Prioritize development of new products 14) Work in partnership with Product Marketing in product concept development and customer/consumer insights as well as product trends 15) Coordinate gathering initial business requirements and creating documentation supporting the various approval stages or ‘phases’ in the new product development process 16) Develop and manage the comprehensive product roadmap and product pipeline 17) Engage with senior management to provide recommendations on product development and keep them informed on business opportunities and issues 18) Create, plan and oversee logistics of product specific roadmaps 19) Test products for progress/quality and adherence to quality standards 20) Manage third party suppliers and co-packer relationships in the context of new product development processes 21) Engage with third party suppliers on product trends, new product ideas, product improvements, etc. 22) Seek out, analyze and identify best practices in product development 23) Educate team members on new opportunities and solutions 24) Manage, coach and mentor direct reports as well as other Marketing Team members (as appropriate) 25) Oversee ongoing competitive product analysis and review 26) Serve as subject matter expert on competitive products 27) Provide ongoing performance feedback and annual evaluations in a timely manner for all direct reports 28) Supervise employees and carry out supervisory tasks as per the organization’s policies and applicable laws 29) Interview, hire and train employees 30) Plan, assign and direct work 31) Appraise performance 32) Reward and discipline employees 33) Address complaints and resolve problems Requirements 1) Experience in developing and launching successful new food products in the marketplace (Mexican preferred) 2) Knowledge of Mexican food processing, Hispanic marketing and co-pack utilization (bilingual in Spanish and English a plus) 3) Ability to effectively present information to all levels of management, public groups and board of directors