R&D Product Developer

Cerelia Bakery Canada LP•Whitehall, OH

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Cerelia is seeking an R&D Product Developer to support development and commercialization of new products in its growing retail and private-label portfolio. The role works closely with the R&D Director and Manager, Project Manager, Baker, and teams across Operations, Marketing, Quality, Procurement, Engineering, Regulatory, Packaging, and Sales. It offers involvement across the innovation lifecycle, from concept development and benchtop trials through plant commercialization and first production.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Engineering, Project Management, or a related field.
3–5 years of experience in food manufacturing, product development, project coordination, or related functions.
Proven experience leading successful commercialization projects from concept through launch.
Strong understanding of food safety regulations, quality systems, and manufacturing operations.
Understanding of food science principles and ingredient functionality.
Proficiency with product development processes and commercialization activities.
Proficiency in food manufacturing environments and quality systems.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel and PowerPoint, and project-tracking tools.
Strong organizational and time-management skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication abilities.
Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Analytical mindset and strong attention to detail.
Demonstrated problem-solving capabilities.
Ability to influence and collaborate without direct authority.
Ability to communicate technical information to technical and non-technical audiences.
Ability to travel occasionally and support production trials outside normal working hours when required.

Nice To Haves

Experience in refrigerated foods, bakery, dough manufacturing, or related food categories.
Knowledge of product labeling, nutrition, and food regulations.
Experience with Genesis R&D, specification systems, or ERP systems.

Responsibilities

Lead and support new product development projects from concept through commercialization.
Develop product prototypes; conduct laboratory evaluations; and organize pilot and plant trials.
Lead ingredient evaluations, product benchmarking, sensory analysis, and shelf-life studies.
Collect and analyze technical data to inform product development decisions.
Monitor market and consumer trends to identify innovation and product-improvement opportunities.
Create and lead project timelines, milestones, action items, and risk assessments.
Coordinate communications across relevant cross-functional teams; lead project meetings; prepare status updates; and track deliverables.
Keep projects on schedule and inform stakeholders of progress, challenges, and next steps.
Support stage-gate reviews and commercialization readiness activities.
Lead scale-up from laboratory to production line and lead plant trials, including sample preparation, materials procurement, and trial documentation.
Collect, evaluate, and validate trial data with Operations, Engineering, and Quality.
Create and maintain production recipes, process parameters, and trial reports.
Lead first-production launches and post-launch evaluations.
Maintain project records, formulations, specifications, testing results, R&D SharePoint folders, databases, and project trackers.
Support regulatory and labeling activities by coordinating ingredient, nutrition, and product information.
Assist with maintaining product specifications and manufacturing documentation, and with creating and revising SOPs, work instructions, and best practices.
Identify improvements to project management processes, communication, and efficiency.
Lead cost-saving and recipe-optimization initiatives; assist with ingredient evaluations and supplier qualifications.
Help track project KPIs, timelines, and commercialization metrics; participate in cross-functional problem-solving to improve product quality and manufacturing performance.
Coordinate multiple innovation and renovation projects, maintain accurate timelines and documentation, lead commercialization through first production, build cross-functional partnerships, and provide timely project and Stage-Gate updates to the R&D Director.