Product Developer, Research & Development
Research & Development • Bolingbrook, IL • Full-Time • $80,000-$90,000 Base
The Real Good Story:
Real Good Foods started with a pretty simple idea: food should taste great and be made better. Today, we’re building something bigger around that belief—challenging the status quo with real ingredients, more protein, fewer carbs, and food people genuinely crave. Through it all, we keep it real: real food, real ingredients, and really good taste. Because eating well shouldn’t be complicated. It should be Real Good.
As a Real Good Product Developer in R&D you will generate the samples and the analytical data that move our development pipeline forward, turning formulation direction from senior R&D into made prototypes, run trials, and decision-grade results.
On Your Plate:
- Formulate & generate benchtop prototypes and samples at the volume and speed the pipeline needs, translating formulation direction from senior R&D into made product
- Design and run experiments with proper controls and design-of-experiments discipline [Key responsibility or outcome this role owns]
- Own accurate, complete documentation: master formulas, specifications, nutritionals and formulation-system entries, and label data sets, so the data holds up downstream
- Keep leadership and cross-functional partners current on status and progress, and raise risks and slippage early with a proposed path forward
- Partner cross-functionally to drive business results and execute against company priorities
- Identify opportunities to improve processes, solve problems, and create real good outcomes
Recipe for Success:
- Sample throughput keeps the pipeline moving; senior R&D is not waiting on samples
- Bench data is complete, controlled, and trusted, so formulas, BOMs, specifications, and labels are right the first time
- Yield and process metrics from trials are captured cleanly and feed validation without rework
- Bench-to-plant gaps are surfaced early
- Bring a proactive, ownership mindset to your work and help move projects forward
- Contribute to a collaborative, high-accountability team culture
What You Bring to the Table:
- BS in Food Science, Meat or Animal Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on R&D experience
- 3+ years of hands-on bench product development in food or CPG, ideally in protein or further-processed meat
- Strong benchwork: formulation, ingredient functionality, prototyping, and rapid iteration
- Rigorous data and documentation habits: experiments run with controls, clean records, and the ability to summarize and report results clearly
- Command of design of experiments (DOE) and basic statistical analysis.
- Experience supporting formal sensory and shelf-life programs
- Experience working in high-growth or entrepreneurial environments
- Demonstrated ability to drive results through collaboration and influence
Why Our Employees Are Full:
Because work should feel good, too.
At Real Good Foods, employees can make an impact at a company that's redefining what's possible in frozen food. We're building a brand that helps people eat better without sacrificing the foods they love, and we know that starts with great people.
Upon joining Real Good Foods, you'll find:
- A mission-driven company focused on improving lives through better nutrition
- A culture that values ownership, action, and fresh thinking
- Real growth and the chance to help shape the future of a category-leading brand
- Competitive compensation and benefits including [list positive specific perks]
- Paid time off, company holiday, and work-life balance initiatives
Equal Opportunity Employer
Real Good Foods is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Employment decisions, including final compensation package, are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.
Like any good recipe, this job description includes the key ingredients, but it may not capture every responsibility, duty, qualification, or opportunity that comes with the role. As Real Good Foods continues to evolve, new challenges are added to the menu. If you meet many, but not every, qualification and are excited about making an impact, we encourage you to apply.
READY TO JOIN THE Real Good MOVEMENT?
Apply today or reach out with resume to [email protected]
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Meat or Animal Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on R&D experience
- 3+ years of hands-on bench product development experience in food or CPG
- Experience in protein or further-processed meat product development
- Strong benchwork skills, including formulation, ingredient functionality, prototyping, and rapid iteration
- Ability to run experiments with controls and maintain accurate, complete documentation
- Ability to summarize and report experimental results clearly
- Command of design of experiments and basic statistical analysis
- Experience supporting formal sensory and shelf-life programs
- Experience working in high-growth or entrepreneurial environments
- Demonstrated ability to drive results through collaboration and influence
What We Do
Real Good Foods is one of the fastest-growing frozen food companies in the US, offering comfort classics that align with modern nutritional values. We believe nutritious foods should be more accessible to people everywhere - helping you live better and feel better. This is what sparked our mission to create delicious, nutritious comfort food that is high in protein, low in carb and sugar, gluten free, and increasingly free of seed oils. Our products span lightly breaded chicken, meatballs, breaded beef, handhelds, and entrées, available in more than 16,000 stores nationwide.
Why Work With Us
We're not just a food brand. We're a movement. Real Good Foods exists to prove you don't have to choose between craveable and better-for-you. Employees join a company that's redefining what's possible in frozen food - building a brand that helps people eat better without sacrificing the foods they love, and we know that starts with great people.
Gallery
