Senior R&D​/Application Specialist – Dairy & Beverage

Senior R&D/Application Specialist – Dairy & Beverage  

Job Description  Posted Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 4:00 AM
Position:
Senior R&D/Application Specialist – Dairy & Beverage

Location:

Oakville, Ontario. This role is full-time on-site in Oakville.
Status:
Full-time, permanent (1). This is a newly created opportunity.

Quadra is one of North America's leading distributors of chemicals and ingredients, with operations across Canada and the United States. Our success is driven by our people, who thrive in a collaborative, innovative, and high-performance environment.
Our  Oakville, Ontario  facility is a key innovation hub within Quadra's Ingredients division. The site specializes in the development, commercialization, and manufacturing of high-quality functional food ingredient blends serving a wide range of food and beverage markets. It is also home to our state-of-the-art  R&D and Applications Laboratory , where technical experts collaborate with customers and supplier partners to develop new concepts, solve formulation challenges, and accelerate innovation.
We are currently seeking an experienced and passionate  Senior R&D / Application Specialist  to join our  Food & Nutrition team . Reporting to the R&D/Innovation Manager, you will play a pivotal role in driving innovation and technical excellence across the  Dairy, Dairy Alternatives, and Beverage segments .
If you're energized by solving complex formulation challenges, creating innovative food solutions, and making a meaningful impact in a dynamic and entrepreneurial environment, we would love to hear from you!
Our Ideal Candidate:
You bring strong analytical and product development expertise and enjoy tackling complex technical challenges.
You are a skilled formulator with a solid understanding of food microbiology principles.
You are passionate about food, ingredients, and innovation within the food industry.
You are naturally curious and driven to understand root causes and develop effective solutions.
You possess strong computer skills and are proficient in Microsoft Office and Genesis Foods software.
You embrace continuous improvement and are comfortable challenging the status quo to enhance processes and capabilities.
You combine creativity and innovation with the ability to think strategically.
You are proactive, adaptable, and resourceful.
You are an effective communicator with strong presentation and relationship-building skills.
You are results-oriented and capable of managing multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
You are confident presenting to both small and large audiences in an engaging and professional manner.
You collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including Sales, QA, Operations, and Marketing.
You are able and willing to travel up to 20% of the time, including occasional overnight travel.
What would be your main responsibilities in this Senior R&D/Applications Specialist role:
Lead various R&D and Applications based activities supporting our full ingredient offering including both Manufactured (blends) and Distributed goods.
Develop new value-added dairy blends that fit within our manufacturing capabilities and deliver value to our customers. Ensure commercial requirements are met or exceeded.
Ideate and deliver, in a timely manner top notch dairy, dairy alternative and beverage concepts that showcase our product offering in on-trend formats, while providing our customer base with innovation inspiration. Commercial and technical acumen are showcased in the ideation and execution phases of the concepts.
Work with account managers to identify and deliver specific project opportunities for our customers.
Support the sales team with customer joint calls and presentations, in conjunction with our Brand Marketing and Commercial leadership personnel serving as the domain expert during meetings with customers.
Manage the R&D pilot plant equipment, ensuring all equipment is operated, cleaned and serviced to enable scale up development activities.
Knowledge of Canadian and USA foods regulatory requirements to be able to review Product Data Sheets for other R&D Specialists.
Contribute to the maintenance of the…