Research & Development Manager

Job Overview

The Manager Research & Development (Core) leads a team responsible for all product development within the Core R&D portfolio, including front-end innovation, commercialization, product optimization, and technical support across High Liner Foods' product portfolio.

This role provides day-to-day leadership for the R&D team and project portfolio, ensuring resources are effectively prioritized and projects are delivered in alignment with customer needs, business objectives, technical requirements, and commercialization timelines.

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of R&D professionals while setting priorities, assigning work, and ensuring accountability for project results.
• Manage the Core R&D project portfolio, prioritizing resources based on business value, customer timelines, technical complexity, risk, and team capacity.
• Lead front-end innovation and product-development activities, including opportunity identification, ideation, concept development, technical feasibility, and pipeline advancement.
• Translate customer needs, consumer insights, culinary trends, and business priorities into actionable product, technology, and commercialization plans.
• Oversee product development and optimization through stage-gate processes, including formulation, benchtop testing, sensory evaluations, customer samples, specifications, shelf‑life studies, and validation.
• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Operations, Engineering, Quality Assurance, Regulatory, Procurement, Supply Chain, suppliers, and customers to deliver successful product launches.
• Lead product scale-up and commercialization through line testing, first production, launch, and post‑commercialization review.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex product, process, ingredient, manufacturing, quality, sensory, and shelf‑life challenges, using scientific and root‑cause problem‑solving methods.
• Evaluate ingredient substitutions, supplier changes, formula modifications, process improvements, quality enhancements, yield opportunities, and cost‑saving initiatives.
• Identify and advance new ingredients, technologies, processing methods, equipment, tools, procedures, and best practices that improve product quality, manufacturing performance, R&D efficiency, and speed to market.

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, Culinary Science, or a related technical discipline required.
• Minimum of 6 years of progressive experience in food R&D, product development, process development, or food manufacturing.
• Minimum of 2 years of direct people‑management experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing technical professionals.
• Proven experience developing and commercializing food products from concept through scale‑up, first production, and launch.
• Experience managing multiple product‑development projects, plant trials, technical investigations, and cross‑functional teams.
• Experience working within a stage‑gate or structured product‑development process.
• Strong technical judgment with the ability to balance customer and consumer expectations with product quality, food safety, cost, yield, manufacturing capability, and business objectives.
• Seafood, frozen food, value‑added protein, coatings, sauces, formed products, or fully cooked product experience is strongly preferred.
• Culinary training and knowledge of sensory‑evaluation methodologies are assets.
• Strong project‑management, problem‑solving, decision‑making, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver results in a fast‑paced environment.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office and applicable product‑development, specification, project‑management, and documentation systems.

Current employees please note: this position is referral bonus eligible! See our policy for more details.

Join High Liner Foods for a career where you shape your path, backed by great benefits, flexible work, and a culture of diversity, innovation, and sustainability. Immerse yourself in opportunities to make a real impact and grow with us in our mission to nourish lives. Start your adventure where endless possibilities to thrive…