Senior R&D Scientist

As our Senior R&D Scientist you will help create a best in class product experience for our consumers via food science and technology expertise, driving forward our mission to Kick Sugar, Keep Candy!™ This role reports to the Director, Research & Development and will be a remote role based in Toronto (preferred), or a hybrid role based in Vancouver.  

Who We Are:

SmartSweets is revolutionizing the candy industry by innovating the delicious candy you know and love with less sugar. We are passionate about growing and championing a diverse Squad of high-performing individuals and are fueled by our sweet culture. We are proudly Female-Founded and on our way to kicking 5.5 billion grams of excess sugar out of candy in a single year, what we call our Mission to Mars. 🚀

How You Will Support Our Mission:  

• Leads the technical development of new products and product improvement initiatives from concept to commercialization, with a passion for delighting our consumer while meeting business strategies and KPIs  
• Creates high-performing relationships with Supply Chain teams, internal and external manufacturing teams and technical consultants to address complex functional and technical issues
• Creates timely, detailed, clearly communicated project plans with key stakeholders. Transparently & proactively elevates risks and risk mitigation strategies.
• Communicate technical updates effectively to both technical and non-technical teams on a regular basis
• Responds to internal escalation of critical product or processing issues and makes timely recommendations to project teams
• Proactively makes technical recommendations to stay ahead of competition and delight our end-user, based on studying consumer needs in candy, industry trends and competitive offerings
• Assists in fostering strong strategic relationships with top ingredient and R&D suppliers while keeping up with latest ingredient innovation.  Collaborates with them to evaluate & implement new ingredients, technologies & processing methods.
• Supports Quality team in the development, implementation, and maintenance of systems and processes to support the product quality, quality procedures, and ongoing regulatory compliance
• Design and execute experimental studies to improve existing & new products and processes, inclusive of shelf-life and stability testing
• Develop & document product formulations, processing specifications, and standard operating procedures

You Have:  

• University Degree/ Bachelor of Science, Food Science 
• 5-7 years of R&D experience in the Food Industry. Ideal candidate has 3 years experience in a large food manufacturing company and 2 years in a food startup or early-stage company, inclusive of working with outside laboratories for product development
• An exceptional degree of drive, resilience, and motivation to solve technical problems in a fast-paced resource-constrained deadline-driven startup environment
• Demonstrated success in bringing new products to market from bench-top to full production in both startup and large-scale manufacturing settings, inclusive of experience with:  stage-gate processes, experimental design, statistical analysis, product formulation, nutritional content, scaling techniques, sensory evaluation methods, food processing equipment, manufacturing processes
• Strong project management skills: results/deadline focused, high detail-orientation and follow-through
• Excellent communication skills (written, verbal, visual) to diverse audiences
• Strong interpersonal/influence skills: Experience influencing supplier, manufacturing and cross-functional relationships
• Strong understanding of ingredient functionality, food chemistry, food safety, processing principles and regulatory affairs in the USA and Canada. Knowledge of FDA/CFIA regulations, FSMA, HACCP, and GMP requirements
• Must be able to travel 30% of the time within Canada, US, and Mexico sometimes on short notice
• Must have a valid passport and drivers license

Compensation and Sweet Perks (Benefits): 

The approximate base salary range for this position is $90,000 - $110,000. The actual base salary will be based on various factors, including the candidate's geographic location and level of skills and experience. This position is eligible for participation in a bonus program based on performance and company results. Please note, individuals must be employed by 09/30/24 to be eligible for the 2024 bonus.

In addition to base salary, we offer a comprehensive benefits (Sweet Perks) package: 

🍭Bear Benefits (free candy!)
👪Extended Benefits (health, dental, life & disability, EAP) 
🥰2 Gummy Days (personal days)
💚5 Paid Restore Days (sick days)
🗓️SweetWeek (company shutdown in December)
🌞Summer FriYAYs (half days off on Friday in the summer)
🕑Life, Work, Flow Philosophy (flexible work environment) 
📞Monthly Cell Phone bill reimbursement 
💻Home Allowance to optimise your remote workspace
👶Parental Leave Top Up Program (inclusive to all parents)
📚Individual Development Program and funding 
💗Community Love (paid Volunteer Day)
🐶Puppy Friendly Office
🥳Regular Squad Social Events 

If this sounds like a sweet opportunity for you, apply directly on our Careers Page. Include your resume, cover letter, and let us know what excites you about kicking sugar out of candy!  

Our Commitment to Celebrating Individuality (DEI) 
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 practise allyship, educate themselves, inspire others to take action and support underrepresented communities.