R&d/application Specialist

**Position**: R&D/Application Specialist - Bakery & Snack

**Location**: Oakville, Ontario

**Status**: Full-time, permanent (1)

Quadra Chemicals is one of the largest distributors of chemicals and ingredients in North America. We have facilities strategically located across Canada and the United States to service our customers. Our employees work in a high-performance environment where we strive to be the best in our respective industries. Quadra's competitive advantage is our employees.

Our Oakville, Ontario facility, part of our Ingredients division, specializes in developing, commercializing, and producing high-quality and functional food ingredient dry blends sold across various market segments. This is also the location of our R&D and Applications lab where the team supports not only our manufacturing business but also our distribution business through technical support, concept development and other innovation inspiration for our customers.
- You are a top-notch formulator and you understand food microbiology principles
- You are passionate about baking, baking ingredients and the bakery industry
- You have a curious mind and seek to understand and solve problems
- You have excellent computer skills and are well versed in the MS Office Suite and Genesis Nutritional software
- You embrace continuous improvement
- You are innovative in your thinking and ideas and have a creative spirit
- You are proactive, adaptable, resourceful
- You are a clear communicator and relationship builder
- You are comfortable presenting to audiences both small and large, in a dynamic and engaging manner
- You work well with other cross-functional teams (Sales, QA, Operations, Marketing, etc.)

**What would be your main responsibilities in this role?**:

- Contribute to the innovation pipeline through concept development, technical support and joint calls
- Assist in managing process improvement and novel ingredients discovery and communicate project results, recommendation actionable next step to internal and external stakeholders
- Perform laboratory and sensory analysis and conduct market product evaluation
- Follow our processes and document new formulation development and any reformulations or substitutions, including finished blend requirements
- Lead all new product development for distributed goods and manufactured blends within the Bakery and Snack segment, including product improvement, as well as concept development
- Develop new value-add bakery blends that fit within our capabilities and deliver value to our customers
- Ideate and deliver top notch bakery concepts that showcase our product offering in on-trend formats, while providing our customer base with innovation inspiration
- Develop on-trend and great tasting seasoning blends, as well as base formulations, for snacks
- Work with account managers to identify and deliver on dedicated project opportunities for our customers
- Build familiarity with products, ingredients and formulation techniques across a variety of product categories outside of the Bakery, Cereal and Snack sectors including Dairy & Dairy Alternatives, Beverages, Prepared Foods and Bars
- Contribute to the maintenance of the R&D laboratory including managing ingredient inventory, finished product samples, and ensuring Good Laboratory/Manufacturing Practices are employed.
- Manage the R&D pilot plant equipment, ensuring all equipment is operated, cleaned and serviced to enable scale up development activities
- Keep abreast of emerging market trends and technology advancement in the industry to facilitate continuous improvement
- Attend key tradeshows, supporting the promotion of our ingredients and services, or as an attendee exploring what is new and interesting in the industry
- Support the sales team with customer joint calls and presentations, in conjunction with our Brand Marketing personnel serving as the domain expert during meetings with prospective customers
- Contribute to all technical documentation related to projects and product development including product specifications, nutritional tables, labels and Bills of Material
- Provide technical support to operations to assist with troubleshooting and problem solving

What experience is required to be successful in this position?
- Bachelor or Masters degree in Food Science, Bakery Science or equivalent experience. Culinary training an asset (pastry or research chef)
- 3 to 5 years of experience in bakery formulation and processing, with advanced finishing skills
- Comprehensive knowledge of ingredients: proteins, starches, hydrocolloids, oils/fats, sweeteners, flours, dough conditioners, enzymes, grains, etc.
- Strong organizational, multitasking, analytical and critical thinking skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to connect easily with internal and external business partners
- Exceptional time management, prioritization and problem-solving skills along with the ability to thrive in a team