R&D/Application Specialist – Dairy & Beverage

Quadra • Oakville, ON

7d • Onsite

About The Position

We are currently recruiting for an experienced and highly motivated R&D/Application Specialist with Dairy expertise, to support our Food & Nutrition business, on a contract basis (current to December 31st, 2026). Reporting to the Innovation/R&D Manager, the candidate will be the lead for our R&D activities related to the Dairy industry, as well as Beverage, with a dotted line to our Business Segment Manager – Dairy & Beverage. The role is essential to support our commercial team to achieve accelerated business growth through next level customer experience and innovation. You will be responsible for developing innovative value-added ingredient blends for dairy & beverage applications, ensuring commercial requirements are met or exceeded, in addition to creating concepts to showcase various ingredient solutions and technical expertise.

Requirements

• Bachelor or Masters degree in Food Science or equivalent experience
• Minimum 3 years of experience in dairy formulation and processing
• Demonstrated value creation and delivery of applications projects on time and in budget
• Comprehensive knowledge of ingredients: proteins, starches, hydrocolloids, acidulants, oils and fats
• Strong organizational, multitasking, analytical and critical thinking skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to connect easily with internal and external business partners
• Exceptional time management, prioritization and problem-solving skills along with the ability to thrive in a team or independently
• High level of self-motivation with ability to take initiative.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, knowledge of Genesis SQL an asset;
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, GFSI, Food Safety and Good Laboratory Practices

Nice To Haves

• Proven analytical, research and development experience and apply those skills to solving technical challenges
• Top-notch formulator and understanding of food microbiology principles
• Passionate about food, food ingredients and the food industry
• Curious mind and seek to understand and solve problems
• Excellent computer skills and well versed in the MS Office Suite and Genesis Nutritional software
• Embrace continuous improvement
• Innovative in thinking and ideas and have a creative spirit
• Proactive, adaptable, resourceful
• Clear communicator and relationship builder
• Comfortable presenting to audiences both small and large, in a dynamic and engaging manner
• Work well with other cross-functional teams (Sales, QA, Operations, Marketing, etc.)

Responsibilities

• Lead all new product development for manufactured blends within the Dairy & Beverage segment, including product improvement, meeting or exceeding commercial requirements
• Create great tasting, on trend prototypes/concepts that will be used as sales tools to promote Quadra’s ingredients and blending capabilities to generate new opportunities
• Contribute to the maintenance of the R&D laboratory including managing ingredient inventory, finished product samples, and ensuring Good Laboratory/Manufacturing Practices are employed.
• Support the management of the R&D pilot plant equipment, ensuring all equipment are operated, cleaned and serviced to enable scale up development activities
• Keep abreast of emerging market trends and technology advancement in the industry to facilitate continuous improvement.
• Attend key tradeshows, supporting the promotion of our ingredients and services, or as an attendee exploring what is new and interesting in the industry, as required
• Support the sales team with customer joint calls and presentations, serving as one of our domain experts during meetings with customers.
• Contribute to all technical documentation related to projects and product development including product specifications, nutritional tables, labels and Bills of Material.
• Provide technical support to operations to assist with troubleshooting and problem solving.

Benefits

• Engaging culture
• Collaborative, family-oriented, and supportive work environment
• Autonomy and flexibility
• Opportunity to be part of a professional, dynamic, innovative, and committed team within a people-centered organization
• Certified as a Great Place to Work®
• Recognized for over 20 years as one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies
• Work alongside motivated and passionate colleagues who are eager to share their knowledge

What This Job Offers

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