Food Technologist - Technical Innovation
About The Position
The Food Technologist on the Technical Innovation team will be responsible for supporting Innovation and new product development at Riverside. The Food Technologist should be a creative self-starter with an aptitude for learning and applying knowledge of food science principles to different scenarios. The candidate should have a solid foundation in applied science and a demonstrated skill and interest with recipe development and/or culinary arts. The ideal candidate should be curious, flexible, adaptable to changing priorities and comfortable with ambiguity and change. They will possess the grit to overcome steep obstacles with a positive attitude. They should be able to navigate challenges creatively, follow detailed processes accurately, use data to inform decision-making, and translate scientific findings into actionable insights. The successful candidate should embody Riverside’s core values and be a role model for the team. They should be passionate about science and committed to delivering honest results.
Requirements
- Post-secondary degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Engineering, or related field
- Experience in Food Research and Development (1-3 years), ideally a portion in food/recipe/product innovation development
- Co-op/intern experience acceptable
- Experience working in kitchens, laboratories, pilot plants, and/or manufacturing facilities
- Proficient with MS Office, MS Outlook, MS Excel, SharePoint.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in bakery, slab, sweet or savoury snack foods, confectionary, dessert, inclusions, or chocolate is preferred
- Experience with Genesis, Specright, Monday.com, SAP an asset
Responsibilities
- Demonstrate and uphold Riverside’s Core Values
- Participate in identification of new innovation opportunities to meet Riverside’s current needs and future growth plans
- Keep abreast of industry trends in the global snack marketplace and beyond
- Attend trade shows, seminars, customer/vendor meetings, etc. as needed
- Build collaborative relationships with existing or new ingredient vendor partners
- Develop new recipes and flavours with guidance in line with required brand attributes, cost targets, timelines, certifications (e.g. Kosher, Organic, Vegan, Gluten-Free, etc.), and other relevant food safety, regulatory and quality parameters
- Complete proof of principle research and testing to ensure feasibility and readiness of new products for refinement and launch in large scale manufacturing. Including but not limited to: Follow established protocols for experimental design and execution. Seek guidance for higher complexity projects.
- Perform testing at lab scale, pilot scale or full-scale manufacturing trials both internally and externally to ensure feasibility of product
- Use sound scientific evidence to seek truth, rather than success or failure. Use this information to make informed decisions and provide actionable insights with guidance
- Select, execute, and interpret sensory evaluation tests with guidance
- Clearly communicate findings to cross-functional and non-technical stakeholders
- Collaborate with brand marketing teams to ensure alignment with market & consumer trends, brand guardrails and technical feasibility
- Manage projects and conduct technical risk assessments while collaborating with multiple stakeholders under supervision. Complete assigned tasks on-time & collaborate with cross-functional partners
- Develop and maintain accurate project records to ensure seamless transitions of project ownership and capture learnings from project successes and failures
- Execute projects to improve R&D or Innovation processes & capabilities
- Respect and promote the company’s health and safety program, maintaining a safe working environment and ensure the continued compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety act and JHSC recommendations
- Manage timeline and documentation of personal project load
- Demonstrate adaptability when faced with changes to project scope and timelines, participate in risk assessments and implements mitigation strategies identified.
- Support fellow R&D and Technical Innovation colleagues as needed. Support onboarding of new staff as needed
- Other duties as required
Benefits
- RRSP matching or 401k matching for an empowered financial journey
- Eligibility to participate in Riverside's Profit Sharing Plan
- Join Employee-Led Resource Groups (ERGs) championing mental health, sustainability, diversity, women, and LGBTQ+ rights
- Develop your career further through our Riverside University program and with our Tuition Reimbursement Program
- An open concept work environment that embodies our Values
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
