đź‘” Title: Director of Research & Development
đź’Ľ Industry: Food Manufacturing
đź“Ť Location: Montreal, QC
🕒 Working Hours: Monday – Friday
đź’° Compensation and Benefits: $100k-$125k, Medical benefits, vacation, other
This position is only open to residents of Canada who have legal work authorization.
đź“ť About our client who is hiring for this position:
Our client is a well-established, locally recognized food manufacturer experiencing rapid, large-scale growth. Known for their strong market presence and commitment to quality, they are expanding operations significantly and seeking top talent to support their continued success.
🏢About the Role:
The Director of Research and Development (R&D) leads all product innovation, formulation, and process development initiatives for flour- and dough-based products. This role is responsible for creating high-quality, scalable, and cost-effective products that meet customer expectations and comply with all food safety and quality standards. The Director works cross-functionally with Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, and Sales to bring new products from concept to commercialization while continuously improving existing formulations and manufacturing processes.
đź”—Skills
- Strong leadership, communication, and project management abilities.
- Expertise in ingredient functionality, formulation optimization, and process scale-up.
- Familiarity with sensory evaluation methods and analytical testing.
- Proficient in using formulation management and product lifecycle software.
- Creative thinker with strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
🎓 Experience
- 7+ years of progressive experience in food product development, with a strong focus on flour, dough, bakery, or frozen food manufacturing .
- Proven track record of leading R&D teams and bringing products successfully from concept to market.
- In-depth technical knowledge of flour functionality, dough rheology, fermentation, and baking science .
- Experience working in GFSI-certified facilities and collaborating with QA/QC and regulatory teams.
🎯 Key Responsibilities
Product Innovation & Development
- Lead the design, development, and optimization of new flour and dough formulations (e.g., breads, pastries, pizza, flatbreads, frozen doughs, batters).
- Translate market trends and customer needs into innovative product concepts.
- Partner with marketing and sales to develop a strategic innovation pipeline aligned with business goals.
- Conduct lab and pilot-scale experiments to test ingredient functionality, fermentation behavior, and baking performance.
Process & Technical Development
- Develop and optimize production processes to ensure scalability, consistency, and efficiency.
- Collaborate with engineering and operations to validate new equipment, processes, and technologies.
- Lead process validation , shelf-life studies , and sensory evaluations to ensure product performance and quality.
- Establish standardized documentation for formulations, batch sheets, and process specifications.
Ingredient & Material Research
- Evaluate new flours, grains, enzymes, emulsifiers, and improvers to enhance dough functionality and performance.
- Work with suppliers to identify and qualify innovative ingredients that improve product quality, texture, and nutritional value.
- Maintain expertise in dough rheology, gluten structure, fermentation kinetics, and ingredient interactions.
Collaboration & Leadership
- Lead and mentor a team of food scientists, technologists, and lab staff.
- Work closely with Quality Assurance to ensure new formulations meet all regulatory, labeling, and food safety requirements.
- Partner with Operations to ensure seamless product scale-up and commercialization.
- Collaborate with Procurement to optimize ingredient sourcing and cost efficiencies.
Continuous Improvement
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives for existing products—enhancing taste, texture, shelf life, and manufacturing efficiency.
- Utilize data and analytical tools to monitor performance and identify opportunities for optimization.
- Maintain awareness of emerging food technologies and trends, including clean label, plant-based, and sustainable ingredient developments.
