Senior Product Development Specialist

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

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.
• 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.
• Excellent problem-solving, troubleshooting, project management, time management, and computer/technical skills.

Strong project management and organizational skills.

• High proficiency in Microsoft Office, label software, and GENESIS.
• 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.
• Comfortable working in lab, office, and refrigerated plant environments.
• Willingness to travel between facilities and evaluate food products, including meat and plant-based alternatives.

Onsite office hours, Mon- Fri

· We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.