Location: Abingdon, Oxfordshire occasional travel to pilot facility in Cambridgeshire Type: Full-time | Onsite/Hybrid Are you ready to lead the charge in revolutionising the future of sustainable food ingredients? Our client — an ambitious food-tech start-up — is on a mission to unlock the full potential of an ancient grain. They’re developing a suite of clean-label, functional ingredients for tomorrow’s food industry, and they need a hands-on, strategic R&D Director to take the reins. What’s the gig? You’ll be the architect of the R&D function from the ground up — designing the strategy, shaping the lab, and hiring your team. This is your chance to blend creativity and science in an environment that values big ideas and real-world impact. What you'll do: Lead development of a portfolio of functional ingredients, using your expertise in processing, extraction, and application development. Collaborate with equipment vendors and pilot facilities (UK & abroad) to run trials and optimise processes. Set up a strong in-house lab, plus manage a network of external experts and academic partners. Drive innovation in ingredient extraction, purification, and application testing. Hire and mentor a brilliant team (process engineers, scientists, application experts). Identify and protect IP — patents, freedom to operate, the whole shebang. Balance strategy and execution — from lab decisions to long-term roadmaps. What you bring: A PhD in food science, bioprocessing, chemical engineering or a related field. 10 years of experience developing and launching functional food ingredients (think starches, proteins). Strong background in grain processing or plant protein extraction. A track record of setting up and running R&D teams and labs. Entrepreneurial drive and a collaborative, “let’s-make-it-happen” attitude. Bonus points for IP/patent experience and academic partnerships. Why join? Because you’ll be at the forefront of a food-tech movement that’s grounded in sustainability, science, and smart innovation. You’ll shape the future of food, working alongside visionaries — and having fun while you do it. Sound like your kind of challenge? Please apply.