Full-Time
Vice President Coffee Research & Development
Research & Development, Coffee
Posted on 6/22/2026
J.M. Smucker
1,001-5,000 employees
Produces jams, peanut butter, breakfast foods
No salary listed
Orrville, OH, USA
Hybrid
Hybrid role with at least 50% on-site work.
Bachelor's, Master's
 Product (1) |
|---|
Get referred to J.M. Smucker
See people who can refer or advise you
- A bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field.
- At least 7 years of progressive Research and Development experience within the consumer packaged goods industry, with significant leadership accountability.
- Experience leading large, cross-functional teams and complex product portfolios from concept through commercialization.
- Experience navigating commodity-intensive categories and partnering with Procurement on sourcing, hedging-aware development, and supplier innovation.
- Experience partnering across Procurement, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Operations.
- Ability to translate technical insights into business impact, prioritize innovation pipelines, and ensure disciplined Research and Development investment aligned to commercial objectives.
- Commitment to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and driving transformation initiatives.
- Own the Coffee Strategic Business Area development strategy, including roast and blend innovation, format and occasion expansion, packaging innovation, and renovation pipelines for Folgers, Dunkin', Café Bustelo, Medaglia D'Oro, and Café Pilon.
- Lead and manage large, cross-disciplinary technical teams through the product life cycle, from green coffee evaluation and cupping through commercialization and in-market support.
- Partner with Procurement to align on commodity sourcing, supplier qualification, and roasting facility excellence.
- Maintain alignment and collaboration with the Senior Vice President of Science and Technical Excellence and team by leveraging shared platforms, including sensory, analytical laboratories, packaging, regulatory, and technical writing and specifications, to integrate Coffee Research and Development priorities into enterprise capability roadmaps.
- Build and develop high-performing teams with strong technical and leadership capabilities to drive engagement and growth.
- Translate technical, sensory, and consumer data into insights that influence business decisions, brand strategy, and pricing and revenue management.
- Leverage internal and external technology capabilities to develop products and continuously search for and vet advanced technologies in extraction, processing, sustainable sourcing, ready-to-drink beverage systems, and premiumization platforms.
- Champion consumer-driven innovation across generations and multicultural segments, supporting Café Bustelo's category growth and Folgers' relevance with next-generation consumer segments.
- Support business continuity, productivity, and continuous improvement in partnership with the enterprise Transformation Office, contributing to margin recovery and supply chain resilience.
- An advanced degree in a science or engineering field.
- Familiarity with green coffee sourcing, roasting, grinding, packaging, one-cup and pod systems, instant and soluble formats, and ready-to-drink beverage formats.
- Experience working in highly matrixed organizations and leveraging shared enterprise capabilities.
Smucker makes and sells everyday food brands that families trust, from jams and jellies to a broad lineup of pantry staples. Its products work by meeting common cooking and eating needs, with items like fruit spreads, peanut butter, shortening, and baking mixes that are sold through grocery stores and other retailers. The company differentiates itself with a long history and a diversified portfolio formed through strategic acquisitions, giving it well-known brands and wide market reach. Its goal is to grow by expanding its product range, preserving brand trust, and increasing household share through better availability and convenience for consumers.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Orrville, Ohio
Founded
1897
Get referred to J.M. Smucker
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- August 23 2026 outlook raises FY2027 EPS to $9.75-$10.25 despite lower sales.
- Fiscal 2026 free cash flow reached $1.2 billion, enabling $720 million debt repayment.
- July 2 2026 Uncrustables became fridge friendly, broadening usage occasions and household penetration.
What critics are saying
- August 2026 guidance still expects sales down 3%-4%, signaling volume pressure.
- Hostess impairments totaled $962 million in Q3 2026, exposing sweet-snack weakness.
- February 2026 Emporia fire proves plant outages disrupt supply, margins, and service levels.
What makes J.M. Smucker unique
- Uncrustables now stores refrigerated five days, expanding convenience versus freezer-only rivals.
- Folgers, Jif, and Hostess give Smucker multi-category shelf power across grocery aisles.
- August 2026 leadership adds Douglas Guilherme and Jeff Varcoe, sharpening operations and quality.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
Hybrid Work Options
Remote Work Options
Company News
J.M. Smucker has appointed Jeff Varcoe to Senior Vice President, Science and Technical Excellence, and launched a modernised Jif brand identity with refreshed packaging and new formats including squeezable peanut butter and Jif Dippers. The company has also received industry recognition for its Hostess Cakes packaging redesign. The moves underscore Smucker's focus on product quality and consumer-led innovation across its established brands. The packaging updates aim to keep mature brands relevant amid changing consumption habits without relying solely on price increases. Smucker's narrative projects $9.0 billion revenue and $979.6 million earnings by 2029. Community valuations range from $124.88 to $302.79 per share, reflecting divergent views on the company's prospects amid volatile coffee costs and tariff pressures.
J.M. Smucker promotes food science exec. 08.21.2026 ORRVILLE, OHIO - The J.M. Smucker Co. has promoted Jeff Varcoe, PhD, to senior vice president of science and technical excellence. Varcoe, currently vice president of quality assurance and food safety, starts in the new role on Aug. 24, Orrville-based J.M. Smucker said. In the post, he will lead the food company's science and technical excellence operations, which span all technical disciplines that support product quality, compliance and innovation. He will report to Rob Ferguson, chief product supply officer and executive vice president of coffee, pet and away-from-home products. "Jeff is an exceptional leader whose expertise, integrity and ability to inspire teams have made a lasting impact on our organization," Ferguson. "His broad experience across the food operations, science and technical functions, combined with his commitment to developing talent and fostering accountability, makes him well-suited to lead this important area of our business. I am confident that under Jeff's leadership, we will continue to maintain the high standards of quality and safety our consumers expect, while advancing innovation across our portfolio." Varcoe has more than 25 years of food industry leadership experience in the areas of quality assurance, research and development, and operations. He came to J.M. Smucker in June 2023 as vice president of quality assurance and food safety, and the company noted that he has since led a "comprehensive food safety and quality vision." Before joining J.M. Smucker, Varcoe spent 21 years at The Schwan Food Co., where he held leadership roles of increasing responsibility, including vice president of manufacturing technical services, vice president food safety and quality, director of research and development, director of food safety and microbiology, and manager of food safety. Get better food industry search results. Adding us tells Google to prioritize Food Business News stories.
The J.M. Smucker Co. announces the election of Jeff Varcoe to Senior Vice President, Science and Technical Excellence. The J.M. Smucker Co. today announced the election of Jeff Varcoe, PhD, to the role of Senior Vice President, Science and Technical Excellence, effective August 24, 2026, reporting to Rob Ferguson, Chief Product Supply Officer | Executive Vice President, Coffee, Pet, and Away From Home. In this role, Varcoe will serve as the Company's leader of Science and Technical Excellence, ensuring operational excellence across all technical disciplines that underpin product quality, compliance, and innovation. Varcoe has served as Vice President of Quality Assurance and Food Safety at Smucker since 2023. In this role, he led a comprehensive food safety and quality vision, ensuring the Company continued to uphold its commitment to consumers. "Jeff is an exceptional leader whose expertise, integrity, and ability to inspire teams have made a lasting impact on our organization," said Ferguson. "His broad experience across the food operations, science, and technical functions, combined with his commitment to developing talent and fostering accountability, makes him well suited to lead this important area of our business. I am confident that under Jeff's leadership, we will continue to maintain the high standards of quality and safety our consumers expect, while advancing innovation across our portfolio." Varcoe brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in the food industry across the areas of quality assurance, research and development, and operations. Before joining Smucker, Varcoe spent 21 years at The Schwan Food Company. While at Schwan, he held leadership roles of increasing responsibility, including Vice President Food Safety and Quality, Vice President of Manufacturing Technical Services, Director of Research and Development, Director of Food Safety and Microbiology, and Manager of Food Safety. For similar information, please visit these web pages:
J.M. Smucker elects Guilherme svp-operations, supply chain. Share via: The J.M. Smucker Co. has elected Douglas Guilherme as senior VP of operations and supply chain, effective July 29. Guilherme will report to Rob Ferguson, chief product supply officer and executive VP of coffee, pet and away from home. The role supports the Orrville, Ohio-based company's operations and supply chain functions across the enterprise. Guilherme most recently served as senior VP of global supply chain, leading manufacturing, engineering, continuous improvement, planning, logistics, digital supply chain transformation and network strategy at The Hershey Co. He has 30 years of global supply chain and operations experience from the consumer goods, food and chemicals industries, including prior leadership roles at Procter & Gamble and Ecolab. "We are excited to welcome Douglas to the Company and look forward to the business impact his leadership and expertise will have across our operations and supply chains," said Ferguson. "Douglas brings a strong track record of delivering results and driving transformation while fostering high-performing teams and a culture of continuous improvement." The appointment follows a February leadership restructuring in which Smucker eliminated its chief operating officer position and created the chief product supply officer role Ferguson now holds, centralizing supply chain, manufacturing and procurement. The J.M. Smucker Co. offers brands across North America including Folgers, Dunkin', Café Bustelo, Jif, Uncrustables, Smucker's, Hostess, Milk-Bone and Meow Mix. The Shelby Report delivers complete grocery news and supermarket insights nationwide through the distribution of five monthly regional print and digital editions. Serving the retail food trade since 1967,... More by Shelby Team
The J.M. Smucker Co. has appointed Douglas Guilherme as Senior Vice President, Operations and Supply Chain, effective 29 July. Guilherme will report to Rob Ferguson, Chief Product Supply Officer, and will focus on advancing operational and supply chain excellence across the company. Guilherme brings over 30 years of global supply chain and operations leadership experience in consumer goods, food, and chemicals industries. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain at The Hershey Company, where he led manufacturing, engineering, planning, logistics, and digital supply chain transformation. He previously held leadership roles at Procter & Gamble and served as Global Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at Ecolab.