The Corporate Senior Product Developer is a strategic and hands-on role responsible for managing corporate-level product development, leading head office sensory reviews, serving as a central hub for primary division development. This role supports both the Further Processing Division and Corporate initiatives, ensuring alignment with customer expectations, regulatory compliance, and internal quality

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

The following list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties rather they are intended to only describe the nature of the job:
• Lead and manage corporate product development projects from concept through commercialization, including timelines, resources, budgets, and integration into manufacturing.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (Sales, Marketing, Operations, QA, Regulatory, Procurement/Sourcing, and Manufacturing) to support product launches, improvements, and market readiness.
• Develop, maintain, and test product formulations, recipes, specifications, label copy, and cooking instructions to optimize quality, compliance, and consumer experience.
• Conduct and oversee sensory evaluations, including weekly sensory reviews at Head Office, menu creation, product presentation, documentation, result tracking, and circulation.
• Create and test new and existing formulas through benchtop and pilot plant trials to validate product concepts and manufacturing processes.
• Monitor market and competitive trends, evaluate competitor and market samples, and coordinate market testing to gather consumer feedback and inform development strategy.
• Ensure all products, ingredients, and claims comply with internal standards and external regulations (CFIA, FDA, Advertising Standards of Canada) and provide regulatory guidance on new or revised formulations.
• Prepare product development documentation and data for executive, customer, and stakeholder presentations.
• Create and maintain product development schedules to meet project milestones and stakeholder expectations.
• Apply strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills to address challenges during product development and manufacturing.
• Maintain brand guidelines and product standards while ensuring feasibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness across ingredients, processes, and packaging.
• Brainstorm innovative, consumer-driven product ideas by researching trends, analyzing competitor products, and identifying unmet market needs.

REQUIRED SKILL, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:
• Post-secondary education in Food Science, Engineering, Culinary Arts, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in R&D/Product Development, culinary, and project management within the food industry, preferably in further processing or meat manufacturing.
• Experience leading corporate-level projects, presenting to cross-functional teams, and communicating results with customers and stakeholders; experience in customer-facing platforms is highly desirable.
• Strong technical background in food science, including formula validation, ingredient selection, and understanding of manufacturing processes.
• Solid working knowledge of the food industry, with a strong emphasis on further processing.
• Proven ability to plan, organize, and manage projects end-to-end, ensuring on-time delivery and adherence to budget.
• Demonstrated leadership ability, including leading project teams and collaborating effectively across departments; prior managerial experience is an asset.
• Ability to interpret market data and industry trends and translate insights into actionable product development strategies.
• Strong oral and written communication skills to present research, proposals, and results in support of sales, marketing, and business objectives.
• Excellent problem-solving, troubleshooting, project management, time management, and computer/technical skills.

COMPETENCIES AND ATTRIBUTES:
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• High proficiency in Microsoft Office, label software, and GENESIS.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills.
• A self-starter with a passion for product development and innovation.
• Creative and flexible, with the ability to adapt to evolving customer and market needs.
• Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Comfortable working in lab, office, and refrigerated plant environments.
• Willingness to travel between facilities and evaluate food products, including meat and plant-based alternatives.

WORKING CONDITIONS:
• Onsite office hours, Mon- Fri
• In plant environment with cold refrigeration

$85,000 - $105,000 a year

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