Product Developer
Description
As the Product Developer, you are accountable for the development for products sold by the business and supporting rapid product development sprints. You will support the following product categories: Ready Meals, Bakery/ Appetizers & Desserts, Sausages, Produce & Specialty Meats. Reporting to the Head, Non-Core Product Development, the Product Developer is a key member of the Product team and is responsible for supporting continuous improvement in a fast-paced and demanding production & innovation environment. The scope of category management covers the Wild Fork business units in both the US & Canadian markets. Additionally, you will maintain positive relationships with Production Operations, Logistics, Supply Chain & Marketing as well as your vendor community and other internal and external contacts. You have a customer-centric approach and are comfortable flexing between regulatory execution and innovation/ product development.
This is an in-office role, Monday - Friday, based in Doral, FL.
Essential Tasks and Responsibilities:
- Directly work with internal and vendor partners to develop products with a hands on approach
- Maintain Brand and Business guardrails throughout product development process
- Own the movement of the products through the product development lifecycle
- Support and maintain product data attributes & database
- Support and maintain product enrichment on company websites
- Liaise directly with Category Managers to ensure product development projects are completed on time and within quality guardrails
- Ensure products that are developed taste great, are authentic & meet quality standards
- Support new product launches with educational materials and product launch programming for Operations and Digital teams
- Support store sampling with educational and training materials on specific products within the portfolio
- Support product tasting and cuttings, hands on in internal test kitchen
- Provide vendors & partners with detailed feedback on product attributes and to create great & differentiated products for Wild Fork
- Support photoshoots with product and preparation as needed
- Support product label development process as needed
- Manage large-scale implementation of products across various channels of the business through close collaboration with functional areas of the business
- Help develop final product specification with the vendor & partner community
- Develop & maintain a strong supplier base for the categories (Ready Meals, Bakery/ Appetizers & Desserts, Sausages, Produce & Specialty Meats
- Liaison with suppliers & maintains successful relationship to meet regulatory requirements for new products within rapid product development cycles
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
- 3 years experience in product development in Food Service, Manufacturing or Retail sector
- Deep understanding of trends in retail & food service environments
- Prior Food Service or Restaurant experience an asset
- Prior start up experience an asset, in Tech or Food-Tech environments
- Passion for Food & obsession for quality
- Strong command of various analytical tools in MS Office (Excel/ Smart Sheets as example)
- Support in Process & Continuous Improvement through the Product Development Function
- Establishes trust and inspires others
- Demonstrated effectiveness navigating cross divisional boundaries
- Command of negotiation and relationship building skills
- Makes effective organization and people decisions in a manner consistent with Wild Fork Foods values and ethics.
- Champions the organization and advocates solutions in the overall Company's best interest.
- Uses business knowledge, innovative thinking, and sound judgment in the solution of problems or the pursuit of business opportunities.
- Consolidates information from various sources including feedback from others to reach sound decisions.
- Considers the ultimate impact of decisions and actions on internal and external customers.
- Lean Six Sigma training or black belt certification is an asset
- Exceptional written, verbal communication & systems skills (including MS Office)
Working Conditions and Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk and sit.
EOE/Vets/Disability