Food Technologist - Technical Innovation

About this role

Join Riverside Natural Foods Ltd., a Canadian-based, family-owned, and globally operating business, committed to leaving the world better than we found it. As a B-Corp certified, Triple-Bottom Line company, we proudly manufacture nutritious, 'better-for-you' snacks such as MadeGood and GOOD TO GO. We value teamwork, humility, respect, ownership, adaptability, grit, and fun.

We’re on an ambitious mission to double our business by 2030, and we need talented individuals like you to help us reach new heights. At Riverside, you’ll have the opportunity to chart your own path to success while contributing to ours. We believe anything worth doing is worth doing right, and our values will guide us through the rugged terrain – and yes, it will get rough. But that’s what makes the journey worthwhile.

So, lace up your boots and let’s tackle the climb together.

You can learn more about us at www.riversidenaturalfoods.com.

Purpose:

The Food Technologist on the Technical Innovation team will be responsible for supporting Innovation and new product development at Riverside. The Food Technologist should be a creative self-starter with an aptitude for learning and applying knowledge of food science principles to different scenarios. The candidate should have a solid foundation in applied science and a demonstrated skill and interest with recipe development and/or culinary arts.

The ideal candidate should be curious, flexible, adaptable to changing priorities and comfortable with ambiguity and change. They will possess the grit to overcome steep obstacles with a positive attitude. They should be able to navigate challenges creatively, follow detailed processes accurately, use data to inform decision-making, and translate scientific findings into actionable insights.

The successful candidate should embody Riverside’s core values and be a role model for the team. They should be passionate about science and committed to delivering honest results.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate and uphold Riverside’s Core Values

• Participate in identification of new innovation opportunities to meet Riverside’s current needs and future growth plans

• Keep abreast of industry trends in the global snack marketplace and beyond

• Attend trade shows, seminars, customer/vendor meetings, etc. as needed

• Build collaborative relationships with existing or new ingredient vendor partners

• Develop new recipes and flavours with guidance in line with required brand attributes, cost targets, timelines, certifications (e.g. Kosher, Organic, Vegan, Gluten-Free, etc.), and other relevant food safety, regulatory and quality parameters

• Complete proof of principle research and testing to ensure feasibility and readiness of new products for refinement and launch in large scale manufacturing. Including but not limited to:

• Follow established protocols for experimental design and execution. Seek guidance for higher complexity projects.

• Perform testing at lab scale, pilot scale or full-scale manufacturing trials both internally and externally to ensure feasibility of product

• Use sound scientific evidence to seek truth, rather than success or failure. Use this information to make informed decisions and provide actionable insights with guidance

• Select, execute, and interpret sensory evaluation tests with guidance

• Clearly communicate findings to cross-functional and non-technical stakeholders

• Collaborate with brand marketing teams to ensure alignment with market & consumer trends, brand guardrails and technical feasibility

• Manage projects and conduct technical risk assessments while collaborating with multiple stakeholders under supervision. Complete assigned tasks on-time & collaborate with cross-functional partners

• Develop and maintain accurate project records to ensure seamless transitions of project ownership and capture learnings from project successes and failures

• Execute projects to improve R&D or Innovation processes & capabilities

• Respect and promote the company’s health and safety program, maintaining a safe working environment and ensure the continued compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety act and JHSC recommendations

• Manage timeline and documentation of personal project load

• Demonstrate adaptability when faced with changes to project scope and timelines, participate in risk assessments and implements mitigation strategies identified.

• Support fellow R&D and Technical Innovation colleagues as needed. Support onboarding of new staff as needed

• Other duties as required

Education and Qualifications:

• Post-secondary degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Engineering, or related field

• Experience in Food Research and Development (1-3 years), ideally a portion in food/recipe/product innovation development

• Co-op/intern experience acceptable

• Experience working in kitchens, laboratories, pilot plants, and/or manufacturing facilities

• Experience in bakery, slab, sweet or savoury snack foods, confectionary, dessert, inclusions, or chocolate is preferred

• Proficient with MS Office, MS Outlook, MS Excel, SharePoint. Experience with Genesis, Specright, Monday.com, SAP an asset

Skills and Abilities:

• Proactive and self-motivated; able to see gaps and take OWNERSHIP to fill them without being asked

• Analytical and problem-solving skills, driven to seek honest answers

• Disciplined; uses food science fundamentals and maintains technical rigour in everyday work

• Demonstrated ADAPTABILITY and GRIT when faced with setbacks, rapid change and ambiguity

• Creative flair; pushes the boundaries to find unconventional solutions

• Embraces discomfort, HUMBLE and excited to explore new challenges and territories

• PASSIONATE for innovation and brings enthusiasm daily

• Deep desire for knowledge, personal skill development and career growth

• Excellent time management and organizational skills; can function independently

• Known as a TEAM player, who…