Senior Product Developer at Sunrisefarms

The Corporate Senior Product Developer is a strategic and hands-on role responsible for managing corporate-level product development, leading head office sensory reviews, serving as a central hub for primary division development. This role supports both the Further Processing Division and Corporate initiatives, ensuring alignment with customer expectations, regulatory compliance, and internal quality  POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES: The following list of duties and responsibilities is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of duties rather they are intended to only describe the nature of the job: · Lead and manage corporate product development projects from concept through commercialization, including timelines, resources, budgets, and integration into manufacturing. · Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams (Sales, Marketing, Operations, QA, Regulatory, Procurement/Sourcing, and Manufacturing) to support product launches, improvements, and market readiness. · Develop, maintain, and test product formulations, recipes, specifications, label copy, and cooking instructions to optimize quality, compliance, and consumer experience. · Conduct and oversee sensory evaluations, including weekly sensory reviews at Head Office, menu creation, product presentation, documentation, result tracking, and circulation. · Create and test new and existing formulas through benchtop and pilot plant trials to validate product concepts and manufacturing processes. · Monitor market and competitive trends, evaluate competitor and market samples, and coordinate market testing to gather consumer feedback and inform development strategy. · Ensure all products, ingredients, and claims comply with internal standards and external regulations (CFIA, FDA, Advertising Standards of Canada) and provide regulatory guidance on new or revised formulations. · Prepare product development documentation and data for executive, customer, and stakeholder presentations. · Create and maintain product development schedules to meet project milestones and stakeholder expectations. · Apply strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills to address challenges during product development and manufacturing. · Maintain brand guidelines and product standards while ensuring feasibility, quality, and cost-effectiveness across ingredients, processes, and packaging. · Brainstorm innovative, consumer-driven product ideas by researching trends, analyzing competitor products, and identifying unmet market needs. REQUIRED SKILL, EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS: · Post-secondary education in Food Science, Engineering, Culinary Arts, or a related field. · Minimum 5 years of experience in R&D/Product Development, culinary, and project management within the food industry, preferably in further processing or meat manufacturing. · Experience leading corporate-level projects, presenting to cross-functional teams, and communicating results with customers and stakeholders; experience in customer-facing platforms is highly desirable. · Strong technical background in food science, including formula validation, ingredient selection, and understanding of manufacturing processes. · Solid working knowledge of the food industry, with a strong emphasis on further processing. · Proven ability to plan, organize, and manage projects end-to-end, ensuring on-time delivery and adherence to budget. · Demonstrated leadership ability, including leading project teams and collaborating effectively across departments; prior managerial experience is an asset. · Ability to interpret market data and industry trends and translate insights into actionable product development strategies. · Strong oral and written communication skills to present research, proposals, and results in support of sales, marketing, and business objectives. · Excellent problem-solving, troubleshooting, project management, time management, and computer/technical skills. COMPETENCIES AND ATTRIBUTES: · Strong project management and organizational skills. · High proficiency in Microsoft Office, label software, and GENESIS. · Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills. · A self-starter with a passion for product development and innovation. · Creative and flexible, with the ability to adapt to evolving customer and market needs. · Detail-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities. · Comfortable working in lab, office, and refrigerated plant environments. · Willingness to travel between facilities and evaluate food products, including meat and plant-based alternatives. WORKING CONDITIONS: · Onsite office hours, Mon- Fri · In plant environment with cold refrigeration