Sr. Manager, Product Development – Strategic Initiatives

Loblaw Companies Limited; Brampton; On-site; CAD 96,000 - 132,000; Full time

Job summary

Loblaw Companies Limited is seeking a Senior Manager, Product Development – Strategic Initiatives to protect product quality during changes. You will guide reformulations, assess risks, validate at scale and keep product experience intact while supplier transitions occur.

Collaborating with Product Management, Sourcing, QA, Regulatory Affairs and Operations, you will ensure changes meet quality, cost and timing targets across the portfolio.

Qualifications

• Post-secondary degree in Food Science or Food Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in food Product Development/R&D, ideally in food manufacturing or CPG.
• Experience leading reformulation, supplier or ingredient transitions, technical troubleshooting, plant trials and commercial implementation.
• Strong knowledge of food formulation, ingredient functionality, manufacturing processes, sensory evaluation and product testing.
• Ability to assess equivalency and determine validation requirements.
• Ability to manage complex change with competing priorities (quality, supply, cost, timing).
• Strong communication and influencing skills across cross-functional partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex reformulation, technical adaptation and supplier transition initiatives for existing products in response to ingredient, supplier, regulatory, manufacturing, supply or product-performance changes.
• Assess proposed changes for impact on product quality, sensory experience, functionality, manufacturability, compliance and supply, and define validation.
• Apply food science and manufacturing knowledge to diagnose issues and develop solutions.
• Establish critical product attributes, specs, process parameters and acceptable ranges post-change.
• Partner with suppliers to develop and evaluate solutions with clear direction.
• Lead plant trials to validate solutions at commercial scale and troubleshoot.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Sourcing, QA, Regulatory Affairs to balance quality, customer experience, cost, timing and supply continuity.
• Identify risks and opportunities across the portfolio, including supply vulnerabilities and recurring issues.
• Independently lead multiple complex projects and maintain timelines through implementation.

Education

Post-secondary degree in Food Science or Food Engineering

7+ years of progressive experience in food Product Development/R&D

Job description

Come make your difference in communities across Canada, where authenticity, trust and making connections is valued – as we shape the future of Canadian retail, together. Our unique position as one of the country’s largest employers, coupled with our commitment to positively impact the lives of all Canadians, provides our colleagues a range of opportunities and experiences to help Canadians Live Life Well®.

At Loblaw Companies Limited, we succeed through collaboration and commitment and set a high bar for ourselves and those around us. Whether you are just starting your career, re-entering the workforce, or looking for a new job, this is where you belong.

At Loblaw, we help millions of Canadians get through their best days, worst days, celebration days, and every day with the value our private label brands provide. Through our innovation and quality products, we are here for our friends, neighbours, family members and colleagues. We succeed through collaboration and commitment and set a high bar for ourselves and those around us.

Why is this role important?

The Senior Manager, Product Development – Strategic Initiatives protects the quality, integrity and continuity of our existing Control Brand products when change is required.

Supplier changes, ingredient availability, regulatory requirements, manufacturing changes and product performance issues can require an existing product to adapt. In this role, you will provide senior technical leadership through these changes, ensuring solutions are fit for purpose, validated at commercial scale and implemented without compromising the product experience our customers expect.

Working closely with Product Management, Sourcing, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs, Operations and suppliers, you will assess technical and sensory risks, determine the right path forward and lead complex product changes from initial assessment through successful implementation.

The core question for this role: How do we make the required change without compromising the product?

Here’s Where You’ll Have an Impact

• Lead complex reformulation, technical adaptation and supplier transition initiatives for existing products in response to ingredient, supplier, regulatory, manufacturing, supply or product-performance changes.
• Assess proposed changes for their impact on product quality, sensory experience, functionality, manufacturability, compliance and supply, and define the appropriate validation required.
• Apply strong food science and manufacturing knowledge to diagnose technical issues, identify root causes and develop practical solutions.
• Establish the critical product attributes, specifications, process parameters and acceptable ranges required to protect consistent product performance following a change.
• Partner with suppliers to develop and evaluate solutions, providing clear technical direction and constructively challenging proposals when product quality or performance may be compromised.
• Lead plant trials to validate solutions at commercial scale, troubleshoot issues and ensure successful implementation.
• Partner with Product Management, Sourcing, Quality Assurance, Regulatory Affairs to manage trade-offs across quality, customer experience, cost, timing and supply continuity, providing clear recommendations when decisions or escalation are required.
• Proactively identify risks and opportunities across the existing portfolio, including supply vulnerabilities, recurring technical issues and product changes that could affect customer experience or availability.
• Independently lead multiple complex projects and critical timelines, ensuring decisions, risks and cross-functional actions remain on track through implementation.

What You Bring

• Post-secondary degree in Food Science, Food Engineering or a related scientific or technical discipline.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in food Product Development/R&D, ideally within food manufacturing or CPG.
• Demonstrated experience leading reformulation, supplier or ingredient transitions, technical troubleshooting, plant trials and commercial implementation.
• Strong technical knowledge of food formulation, ingredient functionality, manufacturing processes, sensory evaluation and product testing.
• Strong technical and product judgment, with the ability to assess equivalency, recognize meaningful product differences and determine appropriate validation requirements.
• Strong analytical and root-cause problem-solving skills, with the ability to turn technical evidence into practical recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex change and competing priorities, balancing quality, supply, cost and timing considerations.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to build alignment, challenge effectively and drive decisions across internal and external partners without direct authority.
• Working knowledge of applicable food regulations, nutrition and labelling requirements.
• Highly organized, accountable and comfortable working independently in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to travel locally and occasionally more broadly as required.

Our commitment to Sustainability and Social Impact is an essential part of the way we do business, and we focus our attention on areas where we can have the greatest impact. Our approach to sustainability and social impact is based on three pillars - Environment, Sourcing and Community - and we are constantly looking for ways to demonstrate leadership in these important areas. Our CORE Values - Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence - guide all our decision-making and come to life through our Blue Culture. We offer our colleagues progressive careers, comprehensive training, flexibility, and other competitive benefits - these are some of the many reasons why we are one of Canada’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, Canada’s Greenest Employers & Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

If you are unsure whether your experience matches every requirement above, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are looking for varied perspectives which include diverse experiences that we can add to our team.

Please Note:

Candidates who are 18 years or older are required to complete a criminal background check. Details will be provided through the application process.

Hiring Range / Échelle salariale à l’embauche :

$96,000.00 - $132,000.00 / 96.000,00$ - 132.000,00$ (per year / par an)

A candidate’s experience and knowledge as well as the geographical region in which the position is located may be factored into the pay a candidate receives for this position. This posting is for an existing vacancy. The Company uses artificial intelligence for the purpose of screening, assessing and/or selecting applicants for this position. / L’expérience et les connaissances d’un candidat ainsi que la région géographique dans laquelle le poste est situé peuvent être prises en compte dans la rémunération qu’un candidat reçoit pour ce poste. Cette offre d’emploi concerne un poste vacant existant. L’entreprise utilise l’intelligence artificielle dans le but de filtrer, d’évaluer et/ou de sélectionner les candidats à ce poste.