Commercialization Manager (food manufacturing)

At Inovata Foods, we're not your typical food manufacturer. We combine the resources, customer base, and growth opportunities of a large North American food company with the entrepreneurial spirit and agility of a family-owned business. Our team members have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions, influence business decisions, and see their ideas come to life on retail shelves across North America.

As a trusted private label partner, Inovata Foods develops and manufactures high-quality frozen meals enjoyed by millions of consumers every year. Behind every successful product launch is a team that manages the details, coordinates cross-functional activities, and ensures products move from concept to commercialization without missing critical steps.

We are seeking a Commercialization Project Manager to join our team in Tillsonburg, Ontario. Reporting to the Director, Product Development & Innovation, this role serves as the central hub connecting Product Development, Quality Assurance, Operations, Procurement, Regulatory, Sales, Packaging, Finance, and our retail customers.

This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, enjoys solving problems, paying attention to details and takes pride in keeping complex projects organized and moving forward. One day you may be leading a commercialization meeting with multiple departments, and the next you may be scheduling product development samples making activities, confirming plant trial readiness, reviewing customer requirements, or ensuring critical product data is accurate in Inovata and customer systems before launch.

If you enjoy bringing structure to complexity, focusing on details, working with cross-functional teams, and playing a key role in launching products that millions of consumers will enjoy, we'd love to hear from you.

Position Summary

The Commercialization Project Manager is responsible for managing the commercialization process for new and revised products. This role ensures projects progress efficiently from concept approval through commercial launch while maintaining compliance with customer, regulatory, and internal requirements. This is currently a vacant position.

This role owns the launch process, not the food formulation. The Commercialization Project Manager keeps timelines, meetings, action logs, system data, specifications, labels, approvals, and launch readiness organized so the Product Developer can focus on making the product work and the Director can focus on customer strategy, prioritization, and decision making.

Key Responsibilities 
Commercialization Management 

• Lead the commercialization process for new products, product changes, reformulations, packaging changes, and customer-driven launch activities.
• Chair weekly or bi-weekly cross-functional commercialization meetings with clear agendas, action owners, due dates, and risk escalation.
• Maintain commercialization trackers, project timelines, risk logs, action registers, and launch readiness checklists.
• Manage multiple launches simultaneously and ensure customer launch deadlines are achieved or risks are escalated early.
• Cross-Functional Coordination & product development Scheduling - 25%
• Schedule R&D activities, customer samples, internal reviews, plant trials, and commercialization milestones in partnership with the Product Developer and Director.
• Coordinate trial preparation by confirming objectives, ingredients, packaging, line time, QA support, Operations support, Procurement readiness, and required measurements.
• Connect Product Development, Operations, QA, Procurement, Regulatory, Sales, Packaging, Finance, Engineering, and customers so decisions are made with the right people involved.
• Document decisions, open issues, risks, and follow-up actions so nothing depends on memory or informal hallway conversations.

Documentation & Data Management

• Ensure product data is complete and accurate in ERP, GS1, customer portals, finished goods registries, and internal product databases.
• Coordinate completion of BOMs, routings, manufacturing instructions, batch sheets, product specifications, ingredient information, allergens, nutrition, line rates, labour maps, costing inputs, and launch documentation.
• Maintain version control for approved specifications, labels, artwork, formulas, and customer documentation.
• Follow up with functional owners to ensure required data is complete, accurate, approved, and available before first production.
• Coordinate artwork development, label review, and approval processes with QA, Regulatory, Sales, Packaging, customers, and external partners.
• Review labels, packaging, and customer-facing documentation for accuracy, completeness, and alignment with approved formulas and specifications.
• Submit approvals to applicable customer or regulatory systems as required.
• Track customer requirements and ensure launch documentation is submitted on time.

Launch Readiness & Post-Launch Follow-Up 

• Lead pre-launch readiness reviews to confirm that the product can launch safely, accurately, on time, and without missing critical details.
• Support first-run readiness by confirming open items, owners, due dates, and escalation needs.
• Capture post-launch learnings, unresolved issues, and process improvements for future launches.
• Escalate risks when quality, food safety, cost, timing, customer requirements, or operational readiness may be affected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Regulatory Affairs, Food Science, Project Management, or a related discipline preferred.
• 3-5 years of project management, commercialization, regulatory, quality, operations, or product launch experience within food manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of how new products move through a food manufacturing business, from concept through launch.
• Knowledge of CFIA, FDA, and USDA requirements is an asset.
• Strong organizational skills, follow-up discipline, written communication, meeting leadership, and ability to manage multiple timelines at once.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel; ERP, GS1, specification, label, or customer portal experience is strongly preferred.
• Able to work cross-functionally, ask clear questions, escalate risks, and hold owners accountable without creating unnecessary conflict.

Success Criteria

• On-time completion of commercialization milestones and customer launch dates.
• Accuracy and completeness of system data, specifications, labels, artwork, customer portals, and approval records.
• Commercialization meeting effectiveness, action closure rate, and risk escalation discipline.
• Plant trial and first-run readiness.
• Reduction in launch issues caused by missing details, late information, incorrect data, or unclear ownership.
• Commercialization cycle time and customer/internal stakeholder satisfaction.

How This Role Shows Our RECIPE Values

• Respect: Keeps meetings direct, calm, and fact-based while assuming positive intent across functions.
• Engagement: Follows through, keeps owners aligned, and makes sure useful information is not trapped in silos.
• Courage: Raises late tasks, missing data, unclear ownership, and launch risks early, even when the message is uncomfortable.
• Integrity: Protects the accuracy of labels, specifications, systems, approvals, and launch documentation.
• Passion: Takes pride in building a launch process that helps good products reach consumers successfully.
• Excellence: Creates structure, repeatability, and high standards so launches are controlled rather than chaotic.

Our Commitment:

Inovata Foods Corp. is an inclusive employer. If selected for an interview, please advise our Human Resources Department if you require any accommodation during the interview and assessment process, and we will work with you to meet your accessibility needs. Inovata Foods may use artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled tools to support certain aspects of the hiring process. AI is not used as the sole decision-maker, and all hiring decisions are made by qualified Inovata Foods team members.