Manager, R&D - Bakery

R&D Manager - Bakery Ingredients
MacDonald Search Group has been asked by our food ingredients manufacturing client to recruit an R&D Bakery Manager to lead innovation, product development, and technical bakery execution within a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment.
This is a highly visible leadership role for a technically strong bakery professional who thrives in product development, commercialization, and team leadership. The successful candidate will lead bakery innovation initiatives from concept through commercialization while developing a team of technologists and supporting broader commercial growth through technical expertise.
Some of what you will do:

• Lead bakery product innovation, formulation development, and application lab activities
• Manage and develop a team of bakery technologists, driving performance, accountability, and technical excellence
• Oversee commercialization of new products from benchtop through plant scale-up and launch
• Develop new bakery mixes, formulations, applications, and line extensions aligned with customer and market opportunities
• Optimize existing products and processes for cost efficiency, functionality, and quality improvement
• Provide technical support to commercial teams, customers, QA, QC, and manufacturing operations
• Support sales initiatives through pricing input, technical documentation, presentations, and customer-facing problem solving
• Evaluate raw materials, ingredient functionality, and emerging trends to maintain a competitive innovation pipeline
• Manage timelines, project documentation, formulas, and specifications within internal systems
• Contribute to innovation funding initiatives including R&D grant and technical development programs

You should have the following:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or related technical discipline (or equivalent industry experience)
• 5+ years of bakery product development experience within food manufacturing, ingredients, or adjacent sectors
• Demonstrated experience developing bakery mixes, formulations, or related baked product systems
• Proven leadership experience managing technical teams or mentoring junior developers
• Strong understanding of commercialization, ingredient functionality, and scale-up processes
• Excellent project management, communication, and organizational skills
• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving entrepreneurial environment with high accountability
• Strong Microsoft Office skills; CRM / ERP experience considered an asset
• Additional language capability (French or Spanish) considered an asset

What's in it for you:

• Opportunity to lead innovation within a growing and entrepreneurial food ingredients organization
• High-impact technical leadership role with visibility across commercial and operational teams
• Competitive compensation package ($120,000-$170,000 range) plus additional compensation and ancillary benefits
• Career development opportunities, mentorship, and external training support
• Collaborative team culture with strong internal engagement and growth mindset

If this sounds like a role where you could excel, please apply.
MacDonald Search Group works with our clients to build diverse, high-performing teams reflective of the Canadian employment landscape. All applications are considered. Thank you for your interest.