R&d/application Specialist

**Position**: R&D/Application Specialist - Savoury

**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 food, food ingredients and the food 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, presenter and relationship builder
- You are proactive, results-oriented and works well on multiple projects with tight deadlines
- 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?**:

- Lead all new product development for manufactured blends within the Savoury segment, including product improvement, as well as concept development
- Create great tasting, on trend prototypes/concepts that will be used as sales tools to promote Quadra’s ingredients and blending capabilities to support business growth in collaboration with Business Segment Manager - Savoury.
- Active member of Business Segment - Savoury team, work with sales managers to identify and deliver on dedicated project opportunities for our customers
- Become familiar with products, ingredients and formulation techniques across a variety of product categories outside of the savoury, prepared foods, condiments, plant based/meat analogs sectors including Bakery, Snack, Dairy, Sports Nutrition 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 are 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 master’s degree in food science or equivalent experience
- Minimum 4 years of experience in savoury, prepared foods, condiments, seasonings, meat analogs formulation and processing
- Comprehensive knowledge of ingredients: proteins, starches, hydrocolloids, oils and fats
- 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 or independently
- High level of self-motivation with ability to take initiative.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office, knowledge of Genesis SQL an asset
- Strong knowledge of HACCP, GFSI, Food Safety and Good Laboratory Practices

Who are we ?
Founded over 45 years ago, Quadra is one of North America's leading distributors of chemicals and ingredients. Quadra is dedicated to its 500+ employees located in Canada and the United States. You will be joining a global team that supports employees across the country and across the border.

At Quadra, we offer not only an engaging culture, a collaborative, family-o