Vice President, Technical - R&D and Quality Greater Jacksonville, FL Area

SSwisher stands at the forefront of innovation in the consumer products industry, blending a legacy of excellence with a forward-thinking approach. Established in 1861, the family-owned company has evolved into a trailblazer, renowned for its iconic Swisher Sweets cigars, cutting-edge American-made Rogue and Ammo modern oral nicotine products, and the premium Drew Estate cigar collection, which features ACID, Liga Privada, and Undercrown. Poised for the future, Swisher is redefining traditional categories with Volt+Co -home to groundbreaking products such as Mojo Energy Pouches. Swisher is also home to more than two dozen American-made, non-combustible tobacco brands under the Helme Tobacco Co. umbrella. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, with operations spanning the U.S., the Dominican Republic, and Nicaragua, Swisher continues to lead through innovation, setting new benchmarks in quality and creativity. Learn more at swisher.com.

The VP, Technical oversees the R&D and Quality functions whose activities include the commercialization of new products, product reformulation, packaging development, cost optimization/value engineering, quality and product safety, and the associated regulatory and lab activities across a portfolio of brands within Tobacco, Nicotine, Caffeine, and Drinks. The VP, Technical will work in partnership with Marketing, Supply Chain, Operations, Engineering, Compliance, and Commercial teams for building and executing the innovation pipeline, advancing technical and quality capabilities, and driving operational excellence in partnership.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Vision

• Set and execute the enterprise technical strategy across R&D, product development, process development, and quality, aligned to growth priorities, product integrity expectations, and commercialization readiness
• Ensure prioritization, resource allocation, and trade-off decisions are timely and documented
• Build a capability roadmap across talent, vendor partners, laboratory and testing strategy, quality systems, tools, and infrastructure with phased investment recommendations
• Oversee IP and knowledge management approach for development programs and external collaborations

Innovation & Technical Excellence

• Oversee end-to-end development from requirements through commercialization readiness, technical transfer, validation, product release, and ongoing quality performance, ensuring manufacturability, quality-system alignment, and consumer performance outcomes
• Direct external partner strategy (suppliers, contract developers, academic/technology partners) to accelerate capability build while maintaining technical control
• Champion data-driven development and quality methods, including evidence-based decision making, robust specifications, testing protocols, and documentation discipline across pipelines

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the senior technical leader in cross-functional governance with Marketing, Operations/Supply Chain, Engineering, QA/QC, New Product Compliance, and Legal
• Translate market requirements into technical programs with clear milestones and handoff expectations to Manufacturing and QA/QC
• Partner with Engineering on CAPEX implications and with Operations on scale-up readiness and transfer execution, ensuring accountability is clear across functions
• Establish an escalation and issue-resolution mechanism for development and commercialization blockers

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, develop, and inspire a diverse technical organization, including Product, Packaging, and Process Development Managers, Quality leaders, QA/QC managers, laboratory teams, and technical specialists
• Create a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, quality ownership, and continuous learning within the technical organization
• Drive capability building in consumer understanding, product design, process engineering, quality systems, laboratory practices, technical documentation, and project leadership within the regulatory guidelines

Governance & Compliance

• Provide executive leadership for Quality Assurance, Quality Control, product release standards, quality management systems, and audit readiness across applicable product categories and manufacturing environments
• Establish and maintain specifications, testing protocols, documentation standards, change controls, and technical risk assessments to support compliant, consistent, and scalable product execution
• Lead quality issue escalation, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, supplier quality partnership, and continuous improvement of quality metrics
• Partner with Compliance, Legal, Operations, and Engineering to ensure technical decisions support regulatory expectations, product integrity, and manufacturing controls

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Food Science, or related technical field
• 12+ years of progressive technical leadership experience in R&D, product development, process development, quality, or related functions within consumer-packaged goods, food, personal care, tobacco/nicotine, beverage, or other regulated product environments
• 7+ years of direct supervisory experience leading managers, senior scientists, engineers, quality leaders, laboratory teams, or multi-disciplinary technical teams
• Demonstrated success standing up or transforming a technical organization, including R&D/Product Development, quality systems, portfolio governance, and external partner strategy
• Strong command of formulation/product development and process development/scale-up concepts, with the ability to bridge product intent to production reality
• Experience leading or partnering deeply with Quality Assurance, Quality Control, quality management systems, audits, CAPA/root cause processes, technical documentation, and evidence-based decision environments
• Executive-level influencing skills with proven ability to align Marketing, Operations, Engineering, QA/QC, Compliance, Legal, and Commercial teams around technical readiness, quality, and product integrity decisions
• Experience in working within FDA and Dietary Supplement guidelines
• Track record of building high-performing teams and delivering measurable pipeline outcomes
• Travel: 15-20%

What We Offer

• Base salary and bonus program
• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance effective on date of hire
• Generous 401(k) Plan
• Defined Contribution Plan
• Paid vacation and paid holidays
• Tuition reimbursement

Official Contact Information

• Email: All official emails will come from an @Swisher.com address
• Website: Verify job listings and contact details on

Important: We will never contact you via Teams, Zoom, or Google Meets. If you qualify for an interview the proper meeting method will be shared with you beforehand. Confidential information should only be shared through secure methods outside of email.