Product Development Manager Location: Hamilton, Ontario (Onsite)

Industry: Commercial Baking / Food Manufacturing

Our client, a growing commercial bakery in Hamilton, Ontario, is seeking a passionate, innovative, and hands-on Product Development Manager to join their team. This is a unique opportunity for an entrepreneurial R&D; professional who enjoys working autonomously, thrives in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, and is excited to play a foundational role in shaping the future of innovation within the organization.

This position will initially operate as a stand-alone R&D; function with full ownership of product development, innovation, commercialization, and continuous improvement initiatives. Over time, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to build and lead an R&D; team as the company continues to grow.

Reporting to senior leadership, the R&D; Scientist will lead the development of new bakery products, improve existing formulations and processes, and collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Quality, Sales, Procurement, and customers to drive innovation and commercial success.

Key Responsibilities

Product Development & Innovation

Lead end-to-end product development activities from concept through commercialization for bakery and baked goods products

Develop new formulations from scratch, including cakes, pastries, sweet goods, and other bakery products

Improve existing products through reformulation, cost optimization, shelf-life enhancement, ingredient substitutions, and process improvements

Conduct bench trials, plant trials, and scale-up activities while ensuring consistency, quality, and manufacturability

Translate customer requests and market trends into commercially viable product solutions

Stay current on bakery trends, ingredients, consumer preferences, clean label initiatives, and emerging technologies

Commercialization & Technical Support

Prepare and maintain product specifications, ingredient statements,



nutritional information, and technical documentation for Canadian and U.S. markets

Support commercialization activities including first production runs, troubleshooting, and process validation

Work closely with Operations and Quality teams to ensure successful product launches and ongoing production performance

Assist with customer presentations, product demonstrations, sampling, trade shows, and innovation meetings as required

Process Improvement & Manufacturing Support

Identify opportunities to improve production efficiency, product consistency, yields, and quality

Collaborate with manufacturing teams to optimize formulations and baking processes

Support continuous improvement initiatives related to productivity, waste reduction, and margin enhancement

Troubleshoot formulation and processing challenges in a manufacturing environment

Supplier & Cross-Functional Collaboration

Build relationships with ingredient suppliers and vendors to source innovative ingredients and solutions

Collaborate with Procurement on ingredient alternatives, supply continuity, and cost savings opportunities

Partner with Sales and Leadership teams to support business growth and strategic initiatives

Leadership & Growth Opportunity

Operate independently as the company’s primary R&D; resource with strong ownership and accountability

Contribute to the long-term innovation strategy and roadmap for the business

Support the future development, mentoring, and leadership of an R&D; team as the department expands

Qualifications

Degree or diploma in Food Science, Food Engineering,



Chemistry, or related scientific discipline

Minimum 5+ years of R&D;/product development experience within commercial baking or food manufacturing

Strong understanding of bakery ingredient functionality, current ingredient vendors in the bakery space, shelf life, food safety, and manufacturing processes

Experience scaling products from benchtop to commercial production

Knowledge of CFIA, FDA, labeling regulations, nutritional requirements, and food safety standards

Experience preparing product specifications, nutritional panels, and technical documentation

Familiarity with ERP systems and nutrition software such as Genesis, Nutracoster, or similar programs is considered an asset

Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and tight timelines

Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to work cross-functionally

Self-starter with a hands-on, proactive, and solution-oriented mindset

Passion for baking and food innovation

Ability to work both in an office and manufacturing environment

Ability to lift up to 50 lbs occasionally

What Success Looks Like

Bringing innovative, high-quality bakery products to market successfully

Acting as a key technical and innovation resource across the organization

Building scalable R&D; systems, processes, and documentation

Contributing to company growth through innovation, optimization, and customer partnership

Evolving into a future leadership role with the opportunity to build and lead an R&D; team

Why Join?

Chance to build and shape the R&D; function within a growing bakery business

High visibility and direct impact on innovation and business growth

Entrepreneurial environment where ideas and creativity are valued

Career progression into future leadership opportunities

Collaborative and team-oriented culture within the food manufacturing industry

📌 PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (Canada)
🏢 De Lacy Executive
📍 Canada