Director, R&D

Are you hungry to innovate? To do things differently? To work with a company that's real, thoughtful and very forward-thinking?

Meet Riverside. We are an organic, "better for you" snack company, manufacturing award-winning, nutritious, allergen-free snacks. Your kids know us as MadeGood, tasty school-safe snacks. Your buddies on the go grab our GOOD TO GO delicious and nutritious snacks.

At Riverside, we make delicious snacks that are good in every way. From our ingredients to our manufacturing practices, we've raised every bar on every aspect. We're friendly and focused on creating foods that are good for you and good to the planet as well. Riverside Natural Foods is B-Corp certified, Triple-Bottom Line, Zero Waste, and Canadian owned and operated.

Come work with a Canadian leader! We value teamwork, humility, respect, ownership, adaptability, grit and fun.

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

We continue to grow and today are looking for a committed, talented, star to join our team as our Director, R&D.

Overview:

The Director of R&D is responsible for leading the R&D function, which is accountable for commercializing (scaling up) new products and processes, provide technical support to manufacturing, lead and support continues improvement (CI) projects to improve consumer experience (product quality), efficiency, and/or cost, and to lead new or alternative supplier validations, among other technical focused initiatives.

The R&D Director should promote a culture of cross-functional collaboration, CI, innovation, technical curiosity, technical disciplined yet flexible processes, and calculated risk-taking to foster creativity and breakthrough thinking.

We are convinced that to achieve all the above we need capable engaged team members, the right tools, and the right processes (ways to do R&D activities), thus these should be the areas of focus for the director of R&D.

As part of the Sr. management team, the Director of R&D plays a significant role in demonstrating the company's core values, strong connection to our purpose, supporting the growth of the business, and delivering exceptional customer service.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Demonstrate and uphold Riverside's Core Values and Purpose
• Lead/ coach and develop a team of food scientists to help them make technical and leadership decisions, to be successful in what they do, and to achieve their development goals.
• RESPECT and promote the company's health and safety program, maintain a safe working environment, and ensure continued compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and JHSC recommendations.
• Ensure new products meet requirements for relevant food industry certifications (e.g. Kosher, Organic, Vegan, Gluten Free) and all food safety, regulatory and quality parameters.
• Creating a vision and multi-year plans for the function.
• Proactively monitoring and improving departmental structure, role definition, role creation, and development planning.
• Ensuring alignment of functional area activity and objectives with the company's strategy
• Being a key participant of the growth of the business
• Scaling up (commercializing) new products and processes created by the Technical Innovation Team.
• Develop and maintain project records so successes and failures are detailed
• Attend relevant trade shows to stay ahead of new ingredients, trends and food technology
• Ensure all formulas, specifications, and procedures are up to date and match current production practices
• Attending initial production run of every new product. Observe the process and make recommendations for improvement where necessary.
• Create and maintain an internal and external network
• Promote a culture of continues improvement within the function (finding everyday ways to do better R&D) and within the organizations.
• Being part of the company and the function (Technical Design) Sr. leadership teams.
• This is a hands-on role; therefore, it's expected from the Director of R&D to execute projects by him/herself in addition to coaching their staff on their projects
• Protect the existing partnership relationship that Riverside has with its equipment and ingredient vendors and create new ones.
• Provides effective project management, creating a structured framework for commercialization (scaling up) of new products and processes and for the other activities that the function is responsible for.
• Stays abreast of emerging trends and technologies in the food industry, especially within the snack category.
• Identifying opportunities to enhance existing products considering taste, texture, nutrition, quality, cost, yield, and convenience.
• Serves as a technical advisor to both internal and external partners, offering insights and solutions based on the latest food technology and trends.
• Keeps the work atmosphere FUN and welcoming by keeping it light (not taking ourselves too seriously)
• Other responsibilities as required

Education & Qualifications:

• +10 years of CPG experence in leadership roles in Research & Development.
• Undergrad degree in Food Science, Engineering, Chemistry, biology or a related field.
• Experience in manufacturing, quality or other technical functions is a plus.

Skills & Abilities:

• Passion/strong personal drive for team development, problem solving, and continues improvement, both the R&D function and the quality of the product. Finding better ways to do things.

• Demonstrated teamwork, collaboration, capable of working on and leading a diverse team.
• Resourceful, Flexible, and ADAPTABLE. Open to the possibilities ("giving a try").
• Self-starter with a high level of initiative and ADAPTABILITY.
• In Riverside, we appreciate leaders that can "fly high and low". Leaders that enjoy getting their "hands dirty", while being able to define strategies for their departments.
• Strong planning, organizing and time management skills, a strategic thinker who doesn't lose sight of the details
• TEAM player with a positive attitude and the ability to keep things light and FUN.
• Demonstrates HUMILITY and Respect for our people and for our planet on a day-to-day basis.
• Experience working for companies where "Action" (learning as we go) and speed were valued over "Analysis" (looking for the perfect solution)
• Actively collaborative and seeks to build strong relationships with internal and external partners.
• Strong communication skills
• Genuine desire to give-back, develop talent, collaborate, and to contribute to a cause bigger than ourselves.

Reporting Relationship:

• Reports to the VP of Technical Design
• Reporting to this role are two managers to whom a team of food scientists and engineers with different levels of seniority reports to.

What We Offer:

• Immerse yourself in our comprehensive benefits program, with Riverside taking care of the costs!
• RRSP matching or IRA matching for an empowered financial journey
• Join Employee-Led Resource Groups (ERGs) championing mental health, sustainability, diversity, women, and LGBTQ+ rights
• Develop your career further through our Riverside University program and with our Tuition Reimbursement Program
• An open concept work environment that embodies our Values

How to Apply:

If you have the commitment to excellence, the energy, the attitude and experience we need, then please submit your resume to careers(AT)riversidenaturals.com with the subject line Director, R&D or click the apply button!

Riverside Natural Foods is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you have a disability and require accommodation in the interview process, please let us know when you apply.

We thank all applicants for their interest; however, due to volume, please note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.