Product Development Specialist

**About the Company**

**Export Packers Company Limited** is a multi-faceted, growth-oriented international food company. Since 1937, this privately owned family company based in Ontario, Canada, has built itself into a global food expert, providing exceptional service and innovative solutions to its industry partners. The company’s success is driven by its dedicated employees' professionalism and entrepreneurial spirit. Our Head office is located in Brampton, Ontario.

**Role Summary**

The Product Development Specialist will take ownership of assigned areas and projects to develop and commercialize new and existing products in accordance with the expectations of the Director of Product Development. This will be achieved through the work of scoping and sample requests, product testing, sensory evaluations, documentation, development analysis, collaboration with packers and suppliers. The position involves internal collaboration with Sales, QA, Procurement, Marketing, Operations, and the management core, via cuttings, presentations, showcases, and project management, and external collaboration with both primary and secondary suppliers and packers.

**Responsibilities**
- Lead and execute all aspects of assigned product development projects including: Liaising with key stakeholders to understand business strategy, gathering critical inputs, coordinating project workflow, documentation, attending plant trials, preparing samples for customers and internal presentation and cuttings, and distribution of samples.
- Provide technical support to Sales and Marketing to determine product attributes for development, to support product launch plans, and to liaise with customer PD and QA teams as required.
- Collaborate on packaging attributes, sources, labelling requirements and capabilities with production and suppliers, Procurement, Marketing and QA.
- Collaborate on regulatory and food safety requirements with QA and partner laboratories to develop nutrition statements, ingredient declarations and preparation and handling instructions.
- Develop product specifications in collaboration with Procurement and Suppliers: Scoping development briefs, product formulations, standard operating procedures and CCP’s, NFT standards.
- Ensure that products comply with government regulations and certification requirements.
- Evaluate and document competitive products.
- Develop, grow and lead relationships, as assigned, with suppliers and secondary ingredient suppliers in order to bring new ideas to the company.
- Other duties as assigned

**Qualifications/Skills**
- Minimum of 3-5 years of experience in product development, quality assurance or production.
- Experience with project management or product commercialization (concept to market).
- High computer literacy & proficiency (Outlook, Excel, Word, Teams and Power-point) (Genesis experience an asset.)
- Experience in Proteins and or Seafood would be an asset.
- Culinary or Production background helpful, organoleptic sensory evaluation experience an asset.
- Passion for food and open to taste a variety of food products
- Understand and follow market trends (Ingredients flavours and consumer trends)
- Excellent analytical skills, organized and able to prioritize projects and tasks
- Flexibility to work in a fast-paced environment

**Benefits**
- Hybrid
- 1 day work from home per week
- Summer hours _(half day off every Friday between Victoria Day weekend and Labor Day weekend)_
- Competitive vacation and Personal day policy
- Employee Discounts on the consumables
- Employee Assistance Program
- Company Paid Benefits
- RRSP Match Program
- Export Packers is an equal opportunity employer committed to promoting diversity of thought, ideas, perspective and people. We create an inclusive environment that attracts, retains and values people of all backgrounds by treating all people in a way that allows them to maintain their dignity and independence through inclusion, integration and equal opportunity. We are committed to meeting the needs of those who interact with Export Packers in accordance with Federal and provincial laws._
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- In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, Export Packers has an Accommodation Policy as part of our hiring process. Should you require accommodation, please advise the People & Culture Department._