Product Development Manager Jobs

Trophy Foods is Canada's leading supplier of high-quality edible nuts, dried fruit and confectionery products. We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality products, at the best value, through our direct channel of global grower relationships.

Trophy Foods Inc. is Canadian owned and operated with over 40 years of experience in serving our customers. We produce edible nuts, dried fruits, confectionery and bulk foods under our Trophy brand. We also work with grocery retailers, mass merchandisers, drug channel, and food service customers across the country to create and produce a wide variety of private label branded products.

Overview: Reporting to the Director of Innovation and Marketing, the Product Development Manager is an active contributor of the Consumer Centre of Excellence (CCOE) at Trophy Foods. The CCOE working cross functionally throughout the organization is designed to assess the most advantageous product selection that will expand the category profitably beyond traditional boundaries, provide insights to our Control Brand customers and rapidly move validated projects to completion. The successful candidate will conduct independent “next level” projects while overseeing a team focused on product design and product improvement. Oversee stage gate process, managing several projects simultaneously within the PD environment creating accountability to hit timelines.

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

General

• Participate in ongoing product shelf-life testing of all new and revised products.
• Provide technical leadership to project teams and align with stakeholders for project reviews, technical risk mitigation and project postmortem.
• Lead the submissions for third party lab testing when required.
• Present formulation options and impacts to gain consensus on next steps.
• Responsible for ensuring PD team lead operation meetings to ensure documentation and review of pre- and post- new product runs.
• Create new product documentation including processing parameters, ingredient specifications, nutritional information, and disposition of final product.
• Responsible for researching and conducting experiments, gathering data, developing / interpreting findings and preparing written reports for the development of new products and reformulating of existing products to improve quality and/or margins.
• Test and validate product attributes, shelf life, and plant scalability.

Innovation:

• Keeps informed on current developments in the food industry, new technologies, and innovative ingredients.
• Organize and participate in project presentations to customers and CCOE members.
• Collaborating with our Marketing team, participate in idea generation sessions in the concept development process to create an innovation pipeline.
• Research new and current raw materials and applications that expand the category.
• Interpret experimental results, provide recommendations, and implement next steps.
• Develop new product prototypes for presentation to management and marketing.
• Conducts plant trials and oversee new product start-ups.
• Determine optimal final product specifications for new product development.

Product or Profitability Improvement

• Improves existing products by optimizing product attributes (cost, nutritional profiles, and ingredient statements).
• Works with Operations to optimize run parameters.
• Assists in cost containment and quality standards of ingredients by researching vendors and alternate suppliers.

Experience, Qualifications, and Educational Requirements:

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong computer skills (Microsoft Office software, JD Edwards and Genesis).
• Plant/pilot plant trial experience.
• Advance knowledge of category of expertise (snacking, baking, confectionary).
• 8 to 10 years’ experience in R&D or product development for a food manufacturer with 3 to 5 years’ experience motivating a team for success.
• B. Sc. in Food Science or Food Chemistry or related discipline required.
• Accuracy and attention to detail.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively across all levels and functions internally and with third parties.
• Strong industrial research and analytical skills.
• Experience managing projects.
• Intermediate technical, product development and application skills.
• Advanced knowledge of functional ingredients.
• Willingness to occasionally travel.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Passion for Food and Innovation!
• Self-motivated, creative and detail oriented with the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines.
• Ability to communicate complex information effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.