The Product Development Coordinator is responsible for managing and coordinating Harvest Meats’ product development process from concept through commercialization. This role acts as the central point of accountability for timelines, meetings, documentation, costing coordination, samples, and cross‑functional follow‑up.
The position does not own formulation, food safety, or final technical decisions. Instead, it ensures that all contributors across Sales, QA, Production, Procurement, and Cost Accounting are aligned, accountable, and progressing according to agreed timelines.
This role is ideal for a highly organized coordinator or project manager with an interest in food manufacturing and product development.
Key Responsibilities
Product Development Project Coordination
- Coordinate the end‑to‑end product development lifecycle from concept approval to product launch.
- Develop, maintain, and track project timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
- Schedule, lead, and document product development meetings; issue meeting minutes and action items.
- Actively follow up with internal stakeholders to ensure commitments and deadlines are met.
- Identify risks, delays, or gaps in ownership and escalate as required.
Task Tracking & Accountability
- Utilize Microsoft Planner (and other Microsoft 365 tools as required) to assign, track, and monitor product development tasks.
- Maintain visibility of task status and ensure accountability across cross‑functional teams.
- Support continuous improvement of tracking and workflow processes.
Cross‑Functional Coordination
- Serve as the primary coordination point between Sales, Marketing, QA, Production, Procurement, Cost Accounting during development projects.
- Ensure inputs from all departments are aligned before plant trials, approvals, customer submissions, or launches.
- Maintain clear documentation of decisions, approvals, and changes throughout the development lifecycle.
Costing & Commercial Readiness
- Coordinate with the Cost Accountant to obtain preliminary and final product costing aligned with development timelines.
- Ensure required inputs for costing (formulations, packaging formats, volumes, yields, and trial outcomes) are collected and provided on time.
- Track costing requests and follow up to ensure pricing is available to Sales when required.
- Act as the central point of contact between Product Development, Cost Accounting, and Sales to prevent delays or misalignment.
Samples & Documentation
- Coordinate preparation, packaging, labeling, and shipment of product samples.
- Maintain sample inventories, logs, and supporting documentation.
- Track and organize product specifications, ingredient statements, and related development records.
- Support documentation requirements for customer submissions and R&D reporting.
Launch Support & Continuous Improvement
- Coordinate plant trials, first productions, and post‑launch follow‑ups.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives within the product development process.
- Identify workflow gaps and recommend process improvements to improve speed, clarity, and accountability.
Qualifications & Experience
- Diploma or Degree in Food Science, Business, Project Management, or a related field or equivalent practical experience.
- 1–3 years’ experience in a coordination, project management, or product development support role.
- Experience in food manufacturing, agriculture, or regulated production environments is a strong asset.
- Strong organizational and follow‑up skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent projects.
- Comfortable leading meetings, documenting outcomes, and holding peers accountable to timelines.
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365 tools; experience using Microsoft Planner or similar task‑tracking tools is an asset.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- High attention to detail and strong documentation discipline.
- Interest in food production, manufacturing processes, and product development.
What Success Looks Like
- Product development meetings are structured, documented, and outcome‑driven.
- Clear ownership and timelines exist for all development activities.
- Reduced delays related to costing, samples, approvals, and follow‑ups.
- Improved on‑time product launches and internal coordination.
- Reduced administrative burden on QA, Sales, and Production teams.
Pay: $50,000.00-$60,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Dental care
- Disability insurance
- Discounted or free food
- Employee stock purchase plan
- Extended health care
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
