The Vice President of Technical Services provides strategic and operational leadership for Westrock Coffee Company's technical organization, encompassing Engineering, Capital Projects, Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA), Product Realization, and Research & Development (R&D). This role is responsible for: developing a strong, engaged technical organization through active coaching, mentoring, and talent development; ensuring the company's manufacturing platforms are safe, reliable, and scalable; that capital is deployed efficiently to support growth and innovation; that products consistently meet food safety, quality, and regulatory standards; and that new products and processes move smoothly from concept through commercial launch. This VP partners closely with Sales, Manufacturing, Procurement, Supply Chain, Finance, and Executive Leadership to translate business strategy into technical execution across Westrock Coffee's seven areas of expertise: Roast & Ground Coffee, Tea, Single Serve Cups, Extracts, Ready to Drink Cans, Ready to Drink Glass Bottles, and PET Multi-Serve Bottles.
Job Duties:
Leadership & Strategy
- Set the strategic direction and annual operating priorities for the Technical Services organization in alignment with overall company goals.
- Build, develop, and lead a high-performing team of functional leaders across Engineering, Capital Projects, FSQA, Product Realization, and R&D.
- Serve as a member of the senior leadership team, contributing to company-wide strategic planning, budgeting, and risk management.
- Establish KPIs and governance routines to track performance, safety, quality, and project delivery across all technical functions.
- Actively coach and mentor functional leaders and emerging talent across the Technical Services organization, fostering a culture of continuous learning, accountability, and growth.
- Build succession plans and individual development plans for key roles, ensuring a strong bench of talent to support future company growth.
- Champion ongoing training and skills development programs for engineering, quality, and technical staff at all levels, including plant-floor talent.
Engineering
- Oversee plant and process engineering to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operation of roasting, grinding, blending, extraction, and packaging equipment.
- Utilize Lean Manufacturing principles to drive continuous improvement, automation, and reliability programs that reduce downtime and improve throughput and yield.
- Ensure engineering standards, preventive maintenance programs, and asset management practices are consistently applied across all facilities.
Capital Projects
- Lead capital planning, equipment installation, and start-up processes, prioritizing investments that support strategy, growth, productivity, safety, and sustainability objectives.
- Oversee design, construction, and start-up of new lines, equipment, and facilities, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
- Partner with Finance to build business cases, manage capital requests, and track ROI on completed projects.
Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA)
- Maintain company-wide food safety and quality systems that meet or exceed customer, regulatory (FDA, USDA), and certification requirements (e.g., SQF, HACCP).
- Ensure robust audit readiness, supplier quality programs, and corrective/preventive action processes are in place across all sites.
- Champion a culture of food safety and quality that is embedded in daily operations at every facility.
Product Realization
- Lead the cross-functional process for translating new product concepts into commercially viable, manufacturable products.
- Ensure effective stage-gate management of new product introductions, line extensions, and customer co-manufacturing projects from trial through full-scale production.
- Partner with Sales and Marketing to align Product Realization timelines with customer commitments and market opportunities.
Research & Development (R&D)
- Provide strategic direction for R&D, ensuring a robust pipeline of product, ingredient, and process innovation across coffee, extract, and beverage platforms.
- Ensure R&D investments are aligned with customer needs, market trends, and the company's long-term innovation strategy.
- Foster collaboration between R&D, Product Realization, and Operations to accelerate time-to-market while protecting quality and cost targets.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Food Science, Chemistry, or related technical field required; advanced degree (MBA or technical master's) preferred.
- 15+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing, engineering, quality, or R&D leadership roles within food, beverage, or consumer packaged goods, including 7+ years in a senior leadership capacity.
- Demonstrated experience leading multi-site technical organizations and managing large-scale capital projects.
- Experience in coffee, beverage, or related process manufacturing strongly preferred.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively with executive leadership, customers, and plant manufacturing teams.
- Strong working knowledge of food safety and quality systems, regulatory requirements, and industry certifications.
- Proven ability to lead capital planning and project execution at scale.
- Demonstrated success building and leading cross-functional, multi-disciplinary teams.
- Strong people-development orientation, with a track record of coaching, mentoring, and growing leaders and technical talent at multiple levels of the organization.
- Strong business acumen with the ability to connect technical decisions to financial and commercial outcomes.
- Analytical, data-driven decision-making approach balanced with practical, hands-on operational judgment.
- Ability to travel to manufacturing and roasting facilities, including time spent on plant floors in varying environmental conditions.
- Primarily office-based with regular presence required in manufacturing environments; must be able to wear required GMP and PPE.
