As our Director, Research & Development you will be playing a vital role in bringing our (sweet) product to life and ensuring a best in class product experience in order to achieve our exponential growth and drive forward the mission to Kick Sugar, Keep Candy! This position leads and is the voice of the food science technology for the company, setting the direction for the team, establishing R&D processes, and helping to solve the unsolvable.

We are looking for a highly experienced food scientist with previous candy experience, strong relationship management, project management and strategic thinking. You have experience with new product development, product renovation, quality assurance, regulatory compliance and scaling commercialization. This role reports to the Sr. Director, Product & Innovation and can be remote in North America, or hybrid in Vancouver, B.C.

Who Are We?

SmartSweets is on a mission to Kick Sugar, Keep Candy! We believe in the power of curiosity and with a smart combination of passion, focus and innovation that we can change the world! We trust it's possible to live in a world where candy doesn’t always equal sugar, and where words like guilt, permission, and indulgence no longer carry weight. We believe we can enjoy candy just as we enjoy life - to the fullest. This is why we won’t ever stop innovating and launching new #KickSugar candy products you know and love from childhood. We are proudly Female-Founded and on our way to kick 5.5 billion grams of sugar out of candy in a single year (what we call our Mission to Mars). We are proud to be an employer that has received accolades as A Great Place to Work in multiple categories, as well as Canadian Business Start Up List for Top New Growth Companies!

How You Will Support Our Mission:

Leads the Research & Development team in developing new products and product improvement initiatives, including strategizing, designing, and developing against complex product development projects that have significant impact on the business and strategic objectives.
Manages and mentors R&D and QA team members to ensure the effective organization of departmental workflows and utilizes technical consultants to support project objectives where needed.
Influences the ingredient landscape by maintaining key strategic relationships with many top ingredient suppliers while keeping up with latest ingredient innovation, to help shape our pipeline to fit-for-purpose.
Works in partnership with our Co-manufacturing Manager and Supply Chain teams to foster and maintain relationships, support onboarding of all co-manufacturing partners and leads major initiatives that address complex functional and technical issues.
Identifies co-manufacturing gaps, technical issues, and problem solves in collaboration with the Supply Chain team. Responds to internal escalation of issues and manages sensitive matters related to stakeholders. Makes timely recommendations and decisions that have a substantial impact on resources and organizational effectiveness.
Manages the Quality Assurance team in the development, implementation, and maintenance of systems and processes to support the quality of the organization's products and/or development processes.
Responsible for all Regulatory requirements and compliance of our products, handling all CFIA and FDA correspondence and inspection of contract facilities and develops procedures to ensure ongoing regulatory compliance.

You Have:

University Degree/ Bachelor of Science, Food Science.
7-10 years of technical experience in the Food Industry (R&D, QA/QC, product development, manufacturing).
Experience managing teams and demonstrated ability to lead and develop a department and department staff members.
Strong project management skills; results-focused with impactful execution and follow-through; highly detail-oriented.
Excellent communication skills (written, verbal, visual), and ability to work effectively with personnel at all levels of the organization.
Strong interpersonal skills and experience with managing supplier and co manufacturing relationships.
Strong understanding of ingredient functionality, food safety and regulatory affairs in the USA and Canada.
An exceptional degree of drive, resilience, and motivation to solve complex technical problems.
Must be able to travel 40% of the time within Canada and the USA.
Must have a valid passport and driver license.

The Sweet Stuff:

💰Bonus based on personal & company performance

🍭Bear Benefits (aka. free candy!)

👪Extended health and dental benefits and EAP

💚5 Paid Restore Days (aka. sick/personal time)

📞Monthly Cell Phone bill reimbursement

💻Home Allowance to optimize your remote workspace

🕑Life, Work, Flow Philosophy (aka. flexible work environment)

👶Parental Leave Top Up Program (inclusive to all parents)

📚Individual Development Program and funding

🌞Summer FriYay’s (aka. half days off on Friday in the summer)

💗Community Love (aka. paid Volunteer Day)

🐶Puppy Friendly Office

🥳Regular Squad Social Events

Excited to join and play a key role in our mission to Kick Sugar, Keep Candy? We want to hear from you! Please apply to our careers page with your resume, cover letter and why you are excited about kicking sugar out of candy!

Our Commitment to Celebrating Individuality - Representation & Inclusion

We are committed to elevating the voices of Squad and community members on the mission to Kick Sugar, Keep Candy! We believe representing the uniqueness of all makes us stronger as a whole. We are making a difference by encouraging all Squad Members to practice allyship, educate themselves, inspire others to take action and support underrepresented communities.

COVID-19 Policy

All Squad Members must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. SmartSweets implemented this policy to reduce the risk that someone will be exposed to COVID-19 during in-person business activities. SmartSweets intends for this policy to comply with all applicable laws. It is based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health authorities, as applicable. Reasonable accommodations will be made for medical conditions and sincerely-held religious beliefs or practices.