Must be eligible to work in Canada.
Position Summary
The Lead Butcher, Product Development is a highly skilled meat professional responsible for advancing product quality and customer-specific cutting capabilities. This role combines expert-level pork butchery, practical product development, and hands-on production support.
Working closely with operations, R&D, QA, sales, and leadership, the Lead Butcher, Product Development plays a key role in:
- Translating customer requirements into practical cutting standards and product expectations
- Creating specialty, artisanal, and customer-specific pork cuts that support product differentiation
- Supporting product trials, first production runs, and hands-on team training
This role requires deep expertise in pork anatomy, fabrication techniques, customer expectations, and continuous improvement.
Key Responsibilities
Butchery Expertise & Product Development
- Perform advanced fabrication of pork with precision and consistency
- Demonstrate advanced skill in creating specialty, artisanal, and custom pork cuts based on customer needs, market trends, and product development goals.
- Convert approved product concepts into practical specifications that reflect customer requirements and operational capabilities
- Collaborate with leadership to explore new product opportunities and value-added offerings
- Support product trial runs and first production runs by preparing for the run, reviewing specifications, evaluating samples, checking yields, confirming product presentation, and providing post-run feedback
- Translate customer needs into cutting standards, yields, and presentation expectations
Customer & Stakeholder Engagement
- Participate in customer presentations, product demos, and “show & tell” sessions
- Provide expert guidance on product capabilities, cuts, and customization
- Represent the organization with professionalism, craftsmanship, and credibility
Specifications & Standardization
- Support the creation and continuous improvement of product specification documents
- Establish clear cutting standards, tolerances, and visual guides
- Ensure cutting standards, product presentation, and specification expectations are applied consistently across teams
Quality Assurance & Continuous Improvement
- Investigate and respond to product quality concerns and customer complaints
- Identify root causes (cutting technique, yield loss, trim standards, etc.) and implement solutions
- Partner with QA to ensure alignment with food safety, traceability, and regulatory standards
- Support development and documentation of standard operating procedures (SOPs)
Training & Capability Building
- Deliver hands-on training in:
- Fabrication techniques
- Yield optimization
- Specialty and custom cutting techniques, including presentation, trim standards, and repeatable execution
- Act as a subject matter expert and mentor across the floor when new products, cutting standards, product trials, or first production runs are introduced
Qualifications & Experience
- Extensive hands-on experience in butchery (typically 8–10+ years or equivalent expertise)
- Deep knowledge of pork carcass anatomy and fabrication (other proteins an asset)
- Demonstrated experience in product development or specification creation
- Strong understanding of food safety standards (e.g., HACCP, CFIA requirements)
- Experience training or mentoring others in a production environment
- Experience creating non-standard, specialty, or customer-specific cuts in a pork, meat processing, retail butchery, or culinary environment
- Formal certification in meat cutting, butchery, culinary arts, or a related discipline is preferred
Core Competencies
- Craftsmanship & attention to detail
- Curiosity and innovation mindset
- Customer focus and presentation skills
- Problem-solving and root cause analysis
- Communication and teaching ability
- Collaboration across operations and QA
This is a new position as a result of business growth.
Northern Farms does not use AI in any stage of the recruitment and selection process.
Salary: $75,000 to $90,000
Pay: $75,000.00-$90,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental care
- Employee assistance program
- Life insurance
- Vision care
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Arthur, ON: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Work Location: In person
