R&D Senior Food Scientist

R&D Senior Food Scientist

R&D Senior Food Scientist - 12 month contract

Dessert Holdings® is North America's premium dessert company, recognized for providing our retail and foodservice customers with chef-inspired innovative desserts made with real ingredients. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Dessert Holdings is an umbrella organization of three premium dessert companies and brands: The Original Cakerie, Lawler's Desserts, and Atlanta Cheesecake Company. 

This position will be located at The Original Cakerie in London, ON. In this role you are a measurement based, results and detailed oriented R+D leader that will provide leadership for implementation and execution of both new and existing projects. From chef designed concepts to plant floor commercialization, you will be responsible for delivering products on time that meet taste and functionality, quality and cost expectations. You will work with others to identify and specify the manufacturing processes for new or improved products and lead the on floor work involved to validate. These products will be developed and defined by physical culinary attributes and product specifications. This role will be hands on developing, leading and managing product development projects from idea to launch and will require strong commercialization experience.

Key Technical Responsibilities and Contributions

Requirements:

• Commercializing new products from chef designed concepts
• Provide project leadership, identify, manage and implement ingredients, formulations, and process modifications of commercialization, product improvement and/or cost savings initiatives
• Manage ingredient functionality of formulation within processing parameters
• Equipment, ingredient and product testing knowledge
• Resourceful and Strong trouble shooting skills
• Strong baking / technical / food science background
• Strong time management skills and attention to detail
• Exceptional sensory skills
• Work with multidisciplinary New Product Team
• Lead the on-floor test, trial, first production runs by providing supporting documentation on setting direction for how projects are carried out, develop project plan, identify and organize project team, coordinate other resources to achieve goals, implement plan, monitor progress, collect results, create reports, write SOP/specification and lead communication for the New Products Team results
• Design and execute experiments, analyze, and interpret data to make sound technical recommendations
• Identify and communicate technical and business risk, constraints to the product development process and perspective for assigned projects and timelines
• Support Operations and QA to resolve ingredient, formula, process issues and manage product/process specification and implement/recommend changes
• Investigate, report and make recommendations on technical issues which may impact the business
• Provide technical support with customer on product information and process capability
• Improve product quality through on-going review of formulation and process parameters
• Develop and/or have knowledge of analytic methods and control techniques for ingredient, raw material and finished goods
• Conduct reviews on project assignments routinely
• Ensure Kosher and BRC standard requirements are met
• Travel up to 15 - 30% of the time.
• Can be long days based on project timelines. When supporting the on-floor work during shift hours, hours must be flexible

Education - Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Food Science / Food Engineering / Food Nutrition or related Science (e.g. Food Chemistry, Microbiology, etc.)
• 3 to 5 years experience in bakery/product development/food manufacturing experience in a related role such as Product Developer, Research and Development or Food Scientist
• Experience with leading new bakery products through testing, trialing and commercialization within an automated high speed bakery environment (frozen bakery experience preferred but not essential).
• Formulation and raw material knowledge / experience.
• Excellent written/oral communication, time management skills
• Working knowledge of MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel), Sharepoint, ERP systems, NAV, Genesis
• Working knowledge of Canadian and US food standards and regulations.
• Strong bench work skills with the ability to execute solutions rapidly (DOE).
• Experience in baking, R+D and Food / Baking Science
• Self directed individual with initiative, responsible for managing multiple projects and ensuring all timelines are met or exceeded
• Be able to work unsupervised and at times, independently and able to delve into new areas outside of one's comfort level
• Effective oral and written communication skills and ability to represent the company and project team in a professional manner
• Ability to assume responsibility and to interface and communicate effectively with others
• Excellent organizational skills and strong ability to maintain up to date records, both hard copy and electronic
• Experience working in a manufacturing facility or industrial bakery an asset

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