Manager,R&D - Bakery Job Mississauga area,Ontario Canada,Manufacturing / Production

R&D Manager - Bakery Ingredients

Mac Donald 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

Manager, R&D - Bakery