Director of Color Innovation
KalsecKalamazoo, Michigan, United States
Posted December 10, 2025
Full Time
About the Company
Kalsec is a global supplier of natural food ingredients, specializing in high‑quality liquid extracts derived from herbs, spices, vegetables and hops. The company translates these botanicals into ready‑to‑use flavor, color and antioxidant solutions that fit seamlessly into a wide range of food and beverage formulations. Kalsec’s portfolio includes advanced hop products, spice and herb flavor extracts, natural colors and functional antioxidants, offering manufacturers a one‑stop source of innovative, sustainable ingredients. With a focus on reliability and scientific rigor, Kalsec distinguishes itself as the only provider that delivers a complete line of natural, engineered solutions to address the evolving challenges of the food and beverage industry worldwide.
Job Description
The Director of Color Innovation leads the Color Innovation Business Unit, introducing new ingredients, solving technical challenges, and overseeing select customer projects.
Requirements
- Lead and develop strategies to execute and manage pipeline development projects and research initiatives.
- Prepare comprehensive reports detailing research activities.
- Maintain awareness of emerging technologies and competitive products.
- Responsible for hiring, developing, training, and performance management of R&D staff.
- Work collaboratively with commercial Color Business Unit leaders to identify gaps and opportunities in the commercial color portfolio.
- Partner with Sales to efficiently execute customer projects, address customer needs, relay results, and gather feedback on progress and learnings.
- Foster a productive and efficient environment for the Color Innovation R&D team, emphasizing sound scientific methodology and responsiveness to both internal and external customer needs.
- Measure and monitor ROI related to laboratory efforts and the commercial success of development activities and customer projects.
- Ensure R&D team members set appropriate specifications for new codes to meet high quality standards, facilitate manufacturing, and achieve high first pass quality rates.
- Develop team capabilities to provide strong customer-facing technical support and versatility, with clear plans and timelines.
- Monitor natural color innovation and regulatory changes, proposing new products and ideas for the portfolio.
- Identify resource gaps in headcount or equipment necessary for mastery in the savory food sector.
- Leverage the savory food landscape to propose demos and technical support activities, such as studies and white papers, to establish Kalsec’s thought leadership.
- Understand and promote the unique selling propositions (USPs) of Kalsec products, driving further development and innovation.
- Track and manage product renovations needed due to quality issues, customer complaints, new raw materials, or high-cost processing, assigning projects to address these concerns
Benefits
- Comprehensive benefits package
- 401(k) matching
- Retirement plan
- Paid time off