Innovation & Commercialization Leader Candidate

SEEKING A ROLE AS: Senior individual contributor or small-team leadership roles focused on technical R&D, product development, project management, and commercialization within the foodservice, specialty pastry, specialty ingredients, and specialty savory industries.

IN LOCATION: Currently living in Northern Virginia/Washington DC. Open to travel.
Worksite Preference: Hybrid

SKILLS & ACHIEVEMENTS: Innovation and commercialization leader with 17+ years of experience advancing foodservice and specialty ingredient programs from concept through launch—building disciplined governance, aligning cross-functional teams, and driving measurable growth through a structured innovation pipeline.
•Industry experience: 17+ years in foodservice & specialty ingredients, with deep expertise across pastry, finished goods, and savory categories
•Category skills: innovation pipeline management; end-to-end commercialization & product launch execution; portfolio & project prioritization; regulatory alignment; supplier management & global sourcing strategy; quality systems integration
•Team leadership: experience leading cross-functional partners and enterprise adoption (including structured training and enablement) to scale innovation execution
•Launch & scale impact:
o owned innovation commercialization with 20–30 campaigns annually
o launched 200 SKUs annually at the Senior Innovations Project Manager level, surpassing financial and operational goals
o Developed and scaled a web-enabled custom sourcing and commercialization program supporting 5,000+ active SKUs and customer-specific product solutions from supplier identification through market launch.
• Commercial performance: achieved 10%+ year-over-year growth through seasonal and limited-time programs
• Operational excellence & execution: implemented profitable pre-order process expanding the product library by 5,000+ SKUs
• Regulatory & compliance strength: served as primary liaison for regulatory compliance; brought subject-matter expertise bridging commercial and regulatory requirements

EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science, Food Science and Technology, Virginia Tech

COMPENSATION: Base salary expectation in the $140,000 range plus incentives, aligned with the scope of responsibilities.

If you are interested in speaking with this innovation & commercialization leader who:
• Is looking to lead a portfolio, pipeline, and innovation commercialization team
• Is looking to help you build and execute an innovation portfolio strategy, run disciplined governance, and drive commercialization from sourcing through launch using proven cross-functional execution methods
• Is capable of advancing regulatory alignment, quality integration, and supplier-backed speed-to-market, then
Contact:
George Blomgren
georgeb@kinsa.com
Worksite Preference:Hybrid Onsite/Remote Combination
Employment Preference:Permanent