Join Riverside Natural Foods Ltd., a Canadian-based, family-owned, and globally operating business, committed to leaving the world better than we found it. As a B-Corp certified, Triple-Bottom Line company, we proudly manufacture nutritious, 'better-for-you' snacks such as MadeGood and GOOD TO GO. We value teamwork, humility, respect, ownership, adaptability, grit, and fun.
We’re on an ambitious mission to double our business by 2030, and we need talented individuals like you to help us reach new heights. At Riverside, you’ll have the opportunity to chart your own path to success while contributing to ours. We believe anything worth doing is worth doing right, and our values will guide us through the rugged terrain – and yes, it will get rough. But that’s what makes the journey worthwhile.
So, lace up your boots and let’s tackle the climb together.
You can learn more about us at www.riversidenaturalfoods.com.
Summary: We are seeking an experienced Associate Product Lifecycle Management professional to lead the cross functional execution of product launches, renovations, and discontinuations within a Consumer Packaged Good (CPG) environment.
This role manages several concurrent projects and acts as the central point of coordination across Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations, Quality, Sales, and Finance. This role ensures that project plans remain current, stakeholders follow through on commitments, and risks are addressed before they affect execution.
The successful candidate will bring strong stage-gate commercialization experience, relationship-building and facilitation skills, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority. This role reports to the Product Lifecycle Manager.
Responsibilities:
- Lead the end-to-end execution of product launches, renovations, and discontinuations from approval through commercialization and in-market launch.
- Develop and maintain integrated project plans, timelines, and milestones, serving as the single source of truth for assigned projects.
- Establish clear ownership of cross-functional deliverables and proactively follow up with stakeholders to maintain momentum and close gaps.
- Prepare for and independently facilitate cross-functional project meetings, ensuring discussions result in clear decisions, actions, owners, and deadlines.
- Build strong cross-functional relationships and drive alignment across Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations, Quality, Sales, and Finance to support successful execution.
- Coordinate mitigation of project risks that may impact timelines, inventory, cost, service levels, or launch readiness. Work with functional owners to develop and track practical mitigation plans.
- Monitor launch readiness and execution performance, escalating issues and driving corrective actions to support successful business outcomes.
Required Qualifications:
- 2-5 years of experience managing product launches, renovations, discontinuations, and/or product lifecycle activities within a CPG environment.
- Demonstrated experience leading complete product launches through commercialization, including ownership of integrated timelines, dependencies, risks, and cross-functional deliverables.
- Hands-on experience working within a stage-gate environment and a strong understanding of the activities and stakeholder alignment required to bring products to market successfully.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional projects involving functions such as Marketing, R&D, Supply Chain, Procurement, Operations, Quality, Sales, and Finance.
- Strong project management skills, including planning, prioritization, timeline management, risk management, and management of several concurrent projects.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess trade-offs, develop recommendations, and communicate issues clearly.
- Demonstrated ability to build stakeholder trust, navigate conflicting priorities, and gain commitment without direct authority.
- Experience using project management software such as Monday.com, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, or similar platforms; experience with Monday.com is considered a strong asset.
Success Competencies
- Relationship Building: Establishes trust and credibility across functions and levels of the organization by communicating effectively, understanding stakeholder needs, and consistently following through on commitments.
- Influence & Accountability: Gains alignment, challenges constructively, and ensures that owners understand and deliver their commitments without relying on formal authority.
- Facilitation & Communication: Leads meetings confidently, keeps discussions productive, and creates clear alignment on decisions, actions, owners, and next steps.
- Proactive Ownership: Connects information across people and functions, anticipates what is needed, and moves work forward without repeated direction.
- Preparation and Follow-Through: Comes prepared, maintains attention to detail, and follows actions and commitments through to closure.
- Risk Management and Judgment: Identifies risks early, evaluates their potential impact, and works collaboratively with functional owners to develop practical mitigation plans.
- Execution Focus: Maintains momentum across several concurrent projects and consistently delivers against agreed timelines in a fast paced environment.
- Adaptability: Manages changing priorities and ambiguity while maintaining organization, sound judgment, and forward progress.
Key Accountabilities
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Responsibility
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KPI/ Metric to Measure Success
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Current Year Target
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Always strive to live our Riverside Values as we deliver results
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Self-assessment supported by peer feedback & sharing over/under played examples (self-awareness) with leader
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>prior year “Our Values match our culture” (team result)
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Cross-Functional Orchestration: Serve as the "single source of truth," aligning disparate teams around a unified product plan
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Ensure >95% of stakeholders report alignment to a single, up-to-date product plan with no conflicting sources of truth.
No additional meetings required outside of aligned on cadence for alignment or clarity
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3 months
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Lead Product Launches: Manage multiple new product launch projects, ensuring they meet the approved business case & meet deadlines
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Deliver >95% of product launches on time and within approved business case parameters
No aged inventory withing first 4 months of Launch
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6 months
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Lifecycle Management: Drive the end-to-end management of product renovations, delisting, and transitions, with a focus on reducing liabilities and optimizing inventory
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≥95% of changeover milestones delivered on time within PLM scope
≥98% accuracy/completeness and ≥95% on-time delivery of phase-out plan
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6 months
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Project Management: Manages the project timelines in Monday.com and provides project admin assistance across all projects in PLM scope
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Maintain 100% of PLM projects with accurate, up-to-date timelines in Monday.com, with ≥95% task completion on schedule.
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6 months
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Risk Mitigation: Proactively identify technical or supply chain risks or conflicts
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≥90% of key risks identified with sufficient lead time to implement mitigation without impacting timeline or cost
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9 months
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Please note this role is an existing vacancy.
Salary Range
$70,000 - $90,000 CAD
At Riverside, we are committed to transparency and fairness in our compensation and job posting practices. The range above reflects the target compensation for the position at the time of posting. Exact compensation will be determined based on experience, skill set, education, and training, as well as other organizational needs, while balancing internal equity.
What we expect:
- Values-led: You’ll be a member of a thoughtful and compassionate team that prioritizes respect, teamwork and resourcefulness along with a good dash of fun. Sometimes, even making granola bars is hard, and life’s too short to take ourselves so seriously that we don’t enjoy the journey.
- Unparalleled experiences and opportunities: We’re still determining who we are and what we can be. Help us shape what this organization will look like and what we’ll offer the world, into the future. This means rolling up your sleeves and sometimes building the process – fast! – while employing it. At Riverside, progress occasionally means proceeding imperfectly, and we’re okay with that, as long as we’re staying true to our values and learning and improving along the way.
- Access to everyone: We’re a flat organization with few silos which means you’ll have full access to everyone from our founders to our production staff. Even when employees dress up, they wear steel-toed shoes. So don’t be shy. Speak up, share your ideas and go places you normally wouldn’t – like the plant, or the boardroom.
- Personal development: We’ll support and empower you to chart your own path and reach any heights you set for yourself. Career paths at Riverside are carved by the people walking on them, not dictated by leaders. Count on us to give you the training and tools to grow and progress.
- Gratitude: As a growing business, we can’t always offer formal recognition like awards programs, but we do show our true gratitude and appreciation. At Riverside, we’re all in this together and we value you.
- Be a Riverside Brand Ambassador: Stay relentlessly close to our consumers and represent the brand in every interaction, decision, and deliverable. Bring the consumer voice into your work by protecting product quality, availability, and experience, acting early when standards slip, and delivering consistent value that earns trust, advocacy, and long-term brand love.
What We Offer:
- Values-led: We don’t cut corners or step on anyone or anything on our way to our summit. There is no winning at all costs here. Every step you take must align with our values, no compromises.
- Courageous determination: As a family-run, rapidly growing business, we are often challenged to find ways to deliver that aren’t obvious or easy. You must be willing to try, ask and answer challenging questions, test and learn, turn over every stone, keep moving forward and help us find a way through. Resourcefulness and grit will be your constant companions at Riverside and will serve you well.
- Humility: We’re a small (but growing) fish in a sea of whales and sharks. We know the products we offer are some of the healthiest and most sustainable, but we don’t brag about it, and know we have a steep path ahead. We pride ourselves in being respectful and supportive of others while shining brightly through our innovative, high-quality products. There isn’t one superstar at Riverside. We take turns leading the way as we climb to the summit.
- Continuous improvement: As a learn-as-we-go organization, we rely on each other to continuously improve everything we touch to make it better, more efficient, more sustainable, and more endearing to customers, consumers, employees, vendors, partners and the community. We own our mistakes and learn from them as we wind our way to the top.
Wait! There’s more!
- Immerse yourself in our comprehensive benefits program, with Riverside taking care of the costs!
- RRSP matching or 401k matching for an empowered financial journey
- Eligibility to participate in Riverside's Profit Sharing Plan
- Join Employee-Led Resource Groups (ERGs) championing mental health, sustainability, diversity, women, and LGBTQ+ rights
- Develop your career further through our Riverside University program and with our Tuition Reimbursement Program
- An open concept work environment that embodies our Values
How to Apply:
If you have the commitment to excellence, the energy, the attitude and experience we need, then please submit your resume to careers(AT)riversidenaturals.com with the job title you are applying for in the subject line or click the apply button!
Riverside Natural Foods Ltd. is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you have a disability and require accommodation in the interview process, please let us know when you apply. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, due to volume, please note that only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Disclaimer: As part of our recruitment process, we may use technology-assisted tools, including automated systems, to support the review and assessment of applications. These tools do not make final hiring decisions. All decisions related to screening, interviewing, and selection are made by our Talent Acquisition and hiring teams.
