Développeur·euse de produits / Product Developer

Nature's Touch Inc. • Montreal, QC

45d • Onsite

About The Position

The Product Developer reports to the Director of Innovation and is responsible for developing both internal products and customer-driven innovations. This role is customer-facing and plays a key part in supporting commercial readiness by ensuring R&D activities are delivered on time, well-coordinated, and aligned with cross-functional milestones. They are also responsible for product industrialization, including developing appropriate specifications, procedures, and control tools to meet both customer and consumer requirements.
This role serves as the technical lead for our coating platform (oils, powders, wet coatings, batters, confectionery etc.), ensuring product performance, formulation excellence, and seamless integration with existing processes.
They are also responsible for building and advancing a pipeline of new products under this platform, identifying opportunities that align with customer needs, category trends, and company strategy.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Engineering, Innovation Management, or a related field
• 5-8 years of R&D experience in food and beverage manufacturing
• Direct experience with coating technologies (powder application, oil coatings, dry/wet adhesion systems, batters) is required or strongly preferred
• Experience in confectionery, frozen foods, snacks, or other coating intensive product categories
• Solid understanding of GMP standards, food safety regulations, and compliance programs
• Experience using TraceGains or similar specification and formula management platforms
• Strong command of coating science: viscosity, adhesion, droplet size, stability, coverage, and yield
• Knowledge of formulation principles relevant to frozen beverage systems, including stabilization, ice crystallization management, and texture control
• Familiarity with process conditions that influence coating outcomes, including temperature, mixing, residence time, airflow, and application method
• Collaborative mindset with strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Highly organized, autonomous, and capable of managing multiple projects and priorities
• Entrepreneurial thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Adaptable to change, ambiguity, and fast-paced environments
• Strong sensory intuition and ability to translate consumer needs into coating-based product solutions
• Full professional fluency in English and French, with excellent written and verbal communication skills

Nice To Haves

• Experience with functional ingredients (stabilizers, emulsifiers, proteins, fibers, texturants) is an asset
• Experience in the frozen food industry is a strong asset
• Experience working with retail or private label customers is a strong asset

Responsibilities

• Monitor market trends, competitive benchmarks, and emerging technologies to identify and propose new product opportunities
• Collaborate with suppliers to explore new ingredients, technologies, and partnership opportunities
• Contribute to the development of core and breakthrough innovation roadmaps, including the preparation of briefs and concept presentations
• Lead feasibility studies for new concepts, managing execution from idea generation through validation
• Analyze technical data and consumer insights to support new product development decisions
• Participate in concept validation and contribute to defining strategic innovation priorities
• Evaluate new coating technologies, functional ingredients, and process solutions that enable superior product performance or differentiation
• Identify and develop strategic opportunities within existing and emerging product categories
• Build in-depth technical expertise on both new and existing products
• Serve as the technical reference for developed products across departments and in customer discussions
• Formulate and test prototypes and recipes for internal stakeholders and customers
• Conduct physico-chemical analyses and oversee internal and external product trials
• Act as a customer-facing technical partner during product development, ensuring clarity of requirements and alignment of expectations
• Participate in production trials and initial industrial runs to support successful product commercialization
• Collaborate closely with Operations, Quality, and Production to ensure smooth technical transfer and alignment
• Stay informed on applicable laws, regulations, and certifications affecting product compliance
• Support and promote company food safety and environmental programs (HACCP, SQF, Organic, Kosher, Non-GMO, etc.)
• Develop and optimize coating formulations (powder, oil, batter, wet coatings) to achieve the desired sensory, functional, and operational performance
• Apply strong hands-on expertise in coating processes commonly used in confectionery, frozen, or ingredient applications to ensure fast development and troubleshooting
• Run structured trials evaluating adhesion, coverage, freeze-thaw behavior, stability, and overall system performance
• Leverage experience with functional ingredients to enhance texture, adhesion, stability, and coating consistency
• Apply formulation knowledge related to frozen beverages or frozen structured liquids when relevant to product or platform needs
• Develop and optimize control processes, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and technical tools to support product industrialization
• Partner with Operations, Quality, and Production teams to ensure seamless technical transfer from development to manufacturing
• Collaborate with Engineering and Operations to define, plan, and implement the industrial capabilities required for new product launches
• Drive scalability and manufacturability of new products through robust industrialization processes
• Deliver R&D milestones on time and in alignment with cross-functional commercial launch timelines, coordinating closely with project stakeholders
• Support customer-facing technical discussions during launch preparation and issue resolution
• Act as the product subject matter expert during scale up, ensuring coating formulations behave consistently under industrial conditions
• Provide product-focused technical requirements, coating behavior insights, and performance criteria to engineering partner
• Validate product viability during production, freezing, storage, and distribution to ensure consistent quality and technical robustness

Benefits

• Join a growing global company where innovation and collaboration drive everything we do
• Work with people who are hands-on, curious, and passionate about what they create
• Be part of a supportive environment where learning and teamwork matter as much as results
• Contribute to products that make healthy, sustainable food accessible to millions

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level