Position: FIT (Food Innovation Technology) and Research Specialist
Reporting Relationship: This position reports directly to the Head of Marketing
Summary:
The incumbent combines expertise in food science, technology, and culinary arts to drive advancements in our product offerings. Working with multidisciplinary teams, they create novel and marketable food solutions and help to develop new and innovative food products using existing ingredients, processes, and technologies that meet consumer demands, address health considerations, and enhance overall food quality and variety of options.
Their responsibilities include experimenting with ingredients, improving production methods, and staying abreast of emerging trends in food technology to ensure that our products remain competitive in the ever-evolving market.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Conduct in-depth research to identify new ingredients, technologies, and processes. Investigate the latest advancements in food science and technology.
- Generate creative ideas for new food products that align with market trends and consumer preferences. Collaborate with teams to brainstorm and conceptualize innovative concepts.
- Develop and optimize recipes, considering taste, texture, nutritional content, and shelf life. Experiment with ingredient combinations to achieve desired product characteristics.
- Collaborate with Quality Assurance, Marketing, and other stakeholders throughout the product development lifecycle. Integrate input from various departments to create well-rounded products.
- Collaborate with Quality Assurance to implement rigorous quality control measures to ensure the safety and consistency of new food products. Conduct sensory evaluations and testing to meet quality standards.
- Optimize production processes for efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. Identify areas for improvement in manufacturing and suggest solutions.
- Analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and competitive products. Stay informed about regulatory requirements to ensure compliance.
- Maintain detailed records of experiments, formulations, and testing procedures. Document research findings and share insights with the team.
- Effectively communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. Present findings, progress, and recommendations to management and project teams.
Requirements:
Creative, Intuitive, Sensitive, Articulate, and Expressive.
Innovative and Enterprising
Adventurous, Assertive, Energetic, Enthusiastic, Confident and Optimistic
Qualifications and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in food technology, food science or food engineering. A Master's degree is preferred.
- Experience in Culinary Arts
- Experience in research an asset
- Process improvement experience and/or certification an asset.
- Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in a similar role.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office