Director of Commercialization Project Management Office

Director of Commercialization Project Management Office (PMO)

The Real Good Story:

Real Good Foods is one of the fastest-growing frozen food companies in the US, on a mission to make “Real Food You Feel Good About Eating”: 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. 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.

About the Role:

The Director of the Commercialization PMO leads the end-to-end commercialization of all innovation, renovation, and line-extension projects for customers and consumers, steering and facilitating the translation of consumer-facing strategy into in-market reality at Real Good Foods.

Speed to market is a superpower at Real Good Foods, and this role exists to make that speed repeatable. The Director owns the operating system that moves every project from concept through plant qualification and into market, on a clear roadmap every function can plan against.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced CPG environment and can translate strategy into disciplined, executional excellence, driving tight alignment from upfront prioritization through full-scale production to deliver products and programs that meet customer requirements, hit RGF financials, and win with consumers.

This role reports to the Chief R&D & Quality Officer and operates as a separate function within R&D, partnering closely with the Senior Director of R&D and cross-functional teams to drive the end-to-end commercialization process.

On Your Plate:

Facilitate End-to-End Execution

• Keep every commercialization initiative moving from concept through launch and post-launch closeout, holding the cadence and accountability across all functions.
• Create and maintain an accelerated path with clear entry criteria for priority opportunities, so the biggest ideas move at the pace they deserve.
• Bring plant/co-manufacturer, supply chain, and cost considerations in early, partnering on trial feasibility, capacity, and timelines so commercial ambition and operational reality stay aligned.
• As a leader-doer without direct reports, personally carry project management for priority initiatives while building a system a future team can run; based at the plant, close to the people and the work.
• Develop strong working relationships with every function at RGF to enable seamless handoffs and cross-functional coordination.

Drive Data Quality and Completeness at Every Handoff

• Make a complete, accurate data package the condition to advance each stage, so every function builds on trusted information.
• Work with cross-functional partners to verify that formula, master data, BOM, specifications, and label declarations reconcile before commercialization closes, keeping products aligned to design into market.
• Facilitate the key review points, a leadership formula review and a final cross-functional readiness review with R&D, Quality, and Regulatory, and hold them to schedule.

Coordinate Customer-Facing Commercialization

• Keep customer specifications, artwork approvals, samples, and portal updates on the critical path through launch.
• Track customer-owned and internal deliverables against the timeline, escalating early when any commitment puts a launch date at risk.
• Balance customer expectations with operational reality, resolving roadblocks while protecting plant commitments.

Enable Portfolio Visibility and Priority-Setting

• Maintain a single trusted view of every active initiative: status, risk, resource load, and timing.
• Partner with the leadership team to set and sequence priorities against capacity, framing tradeoffs on resources, timelines, and financial impact.
• Establish clear escalation paths so issues are identified proactively, not reactively, and resolve in days, not weeks.

Track Performance and Improve

• Own the commercialization scorecard: time to market, first-time-right trial exits, plant readiness, launch success, and cost performance.
• Continuously improve cross-functional flow and standardize the minimum effective set of tools and workflows; adoption comes from usefulness, not mandate.

Recipe for Success

• Initiatives move faster and more predictably from concept through launch, and launch dates hold.
• Plant trials and cross-functional handoffs land right the first time, keeping formula, BOM, master data, and label aligned into market.
• A visible commercialization roadmap exists and every function plans against it.
• Portfolio priorities and operational capacity stay clearly aligned.
• Strong cost and margin delivery on new launches.
• The PMO is seen as the reason things ship, a driver of both growth and operational excellence.

What You Bring to the Table:

• 7+ years of PMO or program management experience in food or CPG manufacturing.
• PMP certification, with a demonstrated track record of applying it at scale.
• Proven cross-functional leadership across R&D, Regulatory, Quality, Supply Chain, Operations, and Commercial teams, in USDA/FSIS-regulated manufacturing (preferred).
• Deep expertise in commercialization and scale-up: plant trials, qualification, and the formula-to-production handoff.
• Experience working directly with plant teams and co-manufacturers.
• Strong systems thinker with command of PM tools such as Smartsheet.
• Demonstrated success in fast-paced, high-growth environments, connecting execution rigor to cost, margin, and speed.
• Strong leadership and ability to influence across technical and commercial stakeholders at all levels.
• Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Experience implementing ERP, PLM, or specification-management systems.
• Private label and customer-specific launch experience.

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
• Paid time off, company holidays, 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. The anticipated base salary range for this position is $170.000 - $200,000 annually. Employment decisions, including final compensation package, are based on experience, 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.

Real Good Basics:

• Department: Research & Development
• Location: Onsite at Bolingbrook, IL
• Full-Time