Fresh​/Frozen and Care & Treats Lead

Job Description:

Champion Petfoods is an award‑winning pet food maker with a reputation of trust spanning 35+ years. Founded in a small town in Alberta, Canada, Champion – with its ORIJEN® and ACANA® brands – is a key player in the global premium pet food industry across three major geographic regions.

We would love to hear from you if you are passionate about personal and professional growth and see yourself as a key player contributing to our continued success as an award‑winning company.

The Fresh/Frozen and Care & Treats Lead will play a critical role in the development of Fresh/Frozen pet meals, refrigerated products, supplements, and treats.

This role combines deep expertise in pet nutrition, ingredient functionality, and process design with strong project leadership and external partnership management. The successful candidate will lead product development initiatives from concept through commercialization, ensuring products meet nutritional, sensory, and quality standards while aligning with Champion Petfoods’ commitment to innovation and excellence.

This role can be based in our North Star Kitchen, in Acheson, AB Canada or the Dog Star Kitchen, in Auburn, KY, United States, with travel required to manufacturing sites and partner facilities.

• Lead the development and optimization and commercialization of frozen and refrigerated products, supplements, and treats.
• Collaborate with formulation teams to ensure nutritional adequacy and product performance.
• Ensure products meet palatability, regulatory compliance, and quality standards.
• Support the design and optimization of manufacturing processes for novel formats, including thermal and non‑thermal technologies.
• Partner with co‑manufacturers to troubleshoot production challenges and ensure consistent product quality and performance.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison with co‑manufacturing partners, fostering collaborative relationships and ensuring clear communication.
• Evaluate and onboard new manufacturing partners aligned with product and process requirements.
• Drive cross‑functional collaboration with Quality Assurance, Regulatory, Supply Chain, Sustainability and Project Management to ensure successful commercialization.
• Contribute to packaging and labeling development to ensure compliance.
• Conduct research on emerging ingredients, technologies, and formats relevant to Fresh/Frozen pet meals, refrigerated products, supplements, and treats.
• Recommend ingredients and processes that enhance product functionality, nutrition, and sustainability.
• Lead product testing and characterization, including sensory panels and performance analysis.
• Use quantitative and qualitative data to make informed decisions that refine formulations and improve products.
• Develop and maintain detailed product specifications, process documentation, and technical reports.
• Monitor industry trends, regulatory changes, and scientific advancements to inform product strategy.

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Engineering, or a related field is required; a Master’s or PhD is considered an asset.
• 5 years of experience in food product development, with a focus on frozen, refrigerated, or ready‑to‑eat meals.
• Experience in developing frozen meals, snacks, treats or supplements in the human food industry is highly valuable and transferable.
• Proven experience in process design, scale‑up, and working with co‑manufacturing partners.
• Strong knowledge of pet nutrition, ingredient functionality, food safety, and thermal processing.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to lead multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, and communication skills.
• Passion for pets and a commitment to delivering high‑quality, innovative products.

• Safety: a strong commitment to ensure all people are provided with a safe, healthy and respectful environment.
• Earnings: competitive wages that give financial peace of…