Research & Development Manager (Bakery/Pastry Manufacturing)

Dessert Holdings Inc.; London; On-site; CAD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Dessert Holdings is seeking a Research and Development Manager (Bakery) in London, Ontario. This onsite role leads new product development, guides tests, analyzes data, and commercializes products.

The incumbent acts as a liaison between Production, Sales, Finance, Quality Assurance and Supply Chain, driving projects to meet business initiatives focused on quality and cost improvements. Responsibilities include leading cross‑functional teams, designing experiments, training the R&D staff, and

Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science or Food Engineering with baking background.
• At least 5 years in bakery/food development and 3 years in a supervisory role.
• Experience leading new products from concept to commercialization in manufacturing.
• Knowledge of recipe/formulation, raw materials, and regulatory standards.
• Strong communication skills and ability to work with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide project leadership in development and commercialization of new products, improvements, and cost savings.
• Lead multiple interdisciplinary projects and coordinate resources and communications.
• Train and mentor R&D staff in project planning and execution.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on new products, equipment, or processes.
• Design experiments, analyze data, and make technical recommendations.
• Assess technical and business risks and communicate findings.
• Develop process specifications and transfer knowledge to QA and Operations.
• Support operations to resolve ingredient, formula, and process issues.
• Support rollouts of new products, equipment and processes.
• Identify opportunities for cost enhancement and process improvement.

Skills

Communication skills

MS Office

Supervisory experience

Education

Degree in Food Science / Food Engineering

Tools

ERP systems

SharePoint

Job description

Location Type: Onsite

Research and Development Manager (Bakery)

Dessert Holdings is the leading premium dessert company in the world. We craft artisanal, scratch-made desserts at scale, combining culinary innovation with the finest real ingredients. With a rich heritage spanning seven distinctive brands, we bring unmatched expertise and tailored solutions to our Retail and Foodservice partners.

Dessert Holdings is looking for a Research & Development Manager in London, Ontario. This individual will ensure new items are built and launched successfully, existing items are documented accurately and act as a liaison between Production, Sales, Finance, Quality Assurance, and Supply Chain. The R&D Manager will design and execute tests, analyze data, draw conclusions, communicate results, and commercialize products. As the onsite R&D lead, this Manager will drive technical projects to meet business initiatives focusing on new product development, quality and cost improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide project leadership in the development and commercialization of new products, product improvement, and cost savings.
• Work on multiple interdisciplinary projects, developing and implementing plans, identifying and organizing project team, coordinating resources to achieve goals, and leading all communication within the organization.
• Train and mentor R&D team in project planning and execution while overseeing projects. Establish goals, appraise performance, recommend training, and provide input into final review for all direct reports.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on implementing new products, new equipment, or new processes.
• Design and execute experiments, analyze, and interpret data to make sound technical recommendations for specific projects.
• Provide and communicate technical and business risk assessment and perspective.
• Develop process specifications, ensuring training and transfer of specification knowledge to QA and Operations.
• Support Operations and QA to resolve ingredient, formula, process issues and manage product/process changes.
• Provide formula and process specifications and on-floor support to ensure smooth rollouts of new products, equipment and/or processes.
• Support process design and review on new capability expansion, cost enhancement, and process improvement opportunities.

Qualifications:

• Degree in Food Science / Food Engineering with a strong functional Baking Science background
• At least 5 years of experience with bakery/food development/food manufacturing; Culinary degree or work experience is a plus
• At least 3 years in a supervisory or managerial capacity
• Experience with leading new products through concept, prototyping and commercialization within a manufacturing environment.
• Recipe / Formulation and raw material knowledge / experience.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Working knowledge of MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel), SharePoint, ERP systems
• Strong bench work skills with the ability to execute solutions rapidly
• Working knowledge of Canadian and US food standards and regulations
• Ability/willingness to work off hours or extended amounts of time during floor testing
• Ability/willingness to travel up to 30% of the time.

About Dessert Holdings

Dessert Holdings is a collection of premium dessert companies and brands: The Original Cakerie, Lawler’s Desserts, Atlanta Cheesecake Company, Steven Charles, Dianne’s Fine Desserts, Kenny’s Great Pies, and Willamette Valley Pie Company. Dessert Holdings is owned by Bain Capital, is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, employs more than 3,500 people across ten manufacturing facilities, and is continuing its journey of rapid growth.

EEO Statement

Dessert Holdings and its related entities provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or any other characteristics protected by law.