TITLE: Manager / Director, R&D; and Process Development

About the role

Original Foods is hiring a DRIVEN and hands-on technical leader to take products from bench formula to stable, validated production. You will lead our R&D; team, own scale-up and shelf life, and hold final technical sign-off before launch.

Original Foods is a growing Canadian food manufacturer in Dunnville, Ontario. We make a very broad range of products: confectionery, syrups, RTD beverages, fruit fillings, jams, sauces, broth, cones and whipped topping for foodservice, retail, industrial and co-manufacturing customers across North America.

The title of Manager or Director will depend on the qualifications and past experience.

Reports to President / CEO. Direct reports are two PD/food scientists and one technician. Works closely with the NPD Project Manager.

Location is Dunnville, Ontario, on site.

Key responsibilities

Formulation leadership

- Lead and coach two food scientists through bench development, from customer brief to approved formula.
- Diagnose stalled formulas.
- Make stop/go calls on projects and set clear exit criteria at each stage.

Scale-up and process development

- Own the transfer from bench to plant: trial design, process parameters, batch sheets and first production runs.
- Design formulas for our actual equipment, fill temperatures, hold times and heat treatment from day one.
- Lead root cause analysis when a product behaves differently at scale.

Shelf life and validation

- Design and interpret accelerated and real-time shelf-life studies.
- Set finished product and process specifications.
- Work with external process authorities on thermal processes for acidified and low-acid products.

Line and capital projects

- Define product and process requirements for recent and upgraded lines: what each filler, kettle,



mixer, heat treatment or other processing equipment must achieve.
- Take part in equipment selection, FAT and commissioning alongside integrators, OEMs, project engineers and other team members.

Ingredient sourcing and evaluation

- Work with supplier technical teams to find new ingredients and alternatives for cost, supply or performance.
- Evaluate candidate ingredients: specifications, allergens, functionality testing and impact on shelf life and process.
- Give technical approval for new ingredients and substitutions, working with QA on supplier approval and with Procurement, which owns pricing and commercial terms.

SR&ED;

- Set up and maintain contemporaneous documentation of experimental work: hypotheses, trial plans, results, conclusions.
- Identify eligible projects and write the technical narratives; support finance and the SR&ED; preparer during filing and any CRA review.

Team and process

- Run a stage-gate process with the NPD Project Coordinator, who manages timelines, samples and customer communication.
- Set documentation standards for formulas, specifications, trial records and batch instructions, and review the team's documentation for completeness and accuracy before it is released.

Decision authority

This role holds final technical sign-off on product and process. No product launches, and no formula or process changes go to production, without it.





- Formula approval and changes: Final sign-off
- Process parameters and batch instructions: Final sign-off
- Shelf-life claims and finished product specs: Final sign-off
- Launch readiness (technical): Final sign-off
- Plant trial scheduling: Requests line time
- Equipment specs for line projects: Required approval of product and process requirements
- Customer timelines and commercial terms: Input only; owned by NPD and Sales

Qualifications

Required

- Degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Chemistry or a related field.
- 10+ years in food manufacturing R&D; or process development.
- Hands-on formulation experience across several product categories, including evaluating new ingredients with suppliers.
- A track record of taking products from bench through plant trials to stable production.
- Experience designing and interpreting shelf-life studies.
- Experience leading or developing food scientists or technologists, including holding them to rigorous documentation standards.
- Working knowledge of CFIA and FDA labelling and standards, HACCP and SQF.
- Strong knowledge and use of AI to help support and validate the different activities

Strong assets

- MSc in Food Science or Food Engineering.
- Experience at a co-manufacturer or multi-category plant.
- Thermal processing knowledge: hot fill, pasteurization, acidified and low-acid foods.
- Experience preparing technical documentation for SR&ED; claims.
- Involvement in line installations or equipment upgrades: user requirements, FAT, commissioning.

How to apply

Send your resume and a presentation Letter. Original Foods does not use artificial intelligence to screen, assess or select applicants.

Pay: $100,000.00-$150,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person

📌 Manager / Director R&D and Process Development (Dunnville)
🏢 Original Foods
📍 Dunnville