Job Description

Department:

Research & Development

Shift:

Days

Location:

419 Rennie St, Hamilton, ON L8H 3R7



Summary

The Manager, R&D Technical Excellence, reporting to the Director, Research and Development, is responsible for the critical function in bridging strategic innovation with practical execution. This role ensures that the R&D execution team (lab, pilot plant, and researchers) are resourced, aligned, and empowered to deliver the results required. Strong leadership, fostering skill development of others, and being the primary liaison between R&D and Operational teams is essential in this role to enable smooth implementation of new technologies and products.



Key Responsibilities

People Leadership & Team Growth

Lead, mentor, and develop scientists, researchers, and the pilot team supervisor. Create a culture of collaboration, accountability, and continuous learning. Support career development and skill-building to expand team capabilities. Promote flexibility of resources across categories to ensure exposure and growth.

Project Execution & Delivery

Ensure timely and high-quality execution of projects across the R&D portfolio. Partner with Principal Scientists to translate innovation project plans into actionable execution deliverables. Oversee resource allocation and capacity planning to maximize team effectiveness. Monitor project progress, remove barriers, and manage risks to delivery.

Cross-functional Collaboration

Act as liaison between R&D execution and Operations, ensuring smooth transfer of knowledge, pilot learnings, and implementation of new technologies. Collaborate closely with Principal Scientists on project prioritization and resource planning. Build strong relationships with Quality, Engineering, and other enabling functions to support seamless project execution.

Systems & Process Excellence

Ensure execution team has the right tools, systems, and processes to deliver consistently. Drive improvements in lab and pilot operations to enhance efficiency and impact. Support standardization, documentation, and knowledge management within the execution team.

Qualifications & Competencies:

Bachelor's degree in science, engineering, business, or related discipline (advanced degree an asset). Proven experience in project management (3-5 years) and stakeholder collaboration, ideally within R&D, operations, or technical environments. Demonstrated success in people leadership, coaching, and developing teams. Strong organizational capacity managing and planning skills; able to manage multiple priorities. Excellent communication and collaboration skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Knowledge of dairy or food industry is an asset but not required.

Gay Lea Foods is a leading Canadian dairy co-operative renowned for producing high-quality, nutritious dairy products that Canadian families love and trust. From farm to table, our 1,200 farmer members in Ontario and Manitoba, and more than 1,200 employees across four provinces, work together to nourish communities through award-winning brands including Gay Lea, Nordica, Salerno, Bothwell Cheese, and more. As part of its deeply rooted, balanced commitment to people, profit, and planet, Gay Lea Foods proudly invests one percent of pre-tax earnings back into Canadian communities through a national food security partnership with Second Harvest, and the community-building efforts of the Gay Lea Foundation. To learn more, visit gayleafoods.com.



Gay Lea Foods is an equal-opportunity employer and values diversity in our workplace.

Reasonable accommodation is available upon request throughout our recruitment and selection process.



Thank you for your interest in Gay Lea Foods.

Wishing you all the best with your career search!