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AGRI-NEO – JOB DESCRIPTION

Product Development Engineer

Member of: Engineering Team

Location: Toronto, ON

COMPANY

Agri-Neo’s mission is to help safely feed the world. Our vision to accomplish this is to set new food safety standards with our treatments for many foods. Our first product line is Neo-Pure, which leverages our proprietary technology of liquid formulas and systems that apply our solutions onto spices, seeds, herbs, and nuts in food processing facilities. These solutions control pathogens such as Salmonella and other quality indicator microorganisms (TPC, coliforms, etc.) to ensure the food is safe to eat and to prevent recalls. We have several customers throughout the globe (North America, Latin America, China, and Egypt), including large mainstream food processors that treat food continuously at high throughputs. We are scaling up our products at more mainstream customer sites to ensure that we set new food safety and food quality standards to help safely feed the world.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Product Development Engineer will be at the forefront of bringing new food safety technologies to life—from concept to commercialization. The focus will be on developing these new technologies for food groups that Agri-Neo would like to enter like fruits, vegetables, and powders. This position will lead the development and scale-up of these novel systems, starting with benchtop experiments and advancing to pilot and full-scale industrial prototypes. The individual will work closely with the Sciences team to conduct comprehensive testing and validations of new systems via the lab and pilot plant, ensuring adherence to quality standards and regulatory requirements throughout the development process. The individual will also utilize and work with the other members of the Design Engineering team, including pilot plant technicians, test engineers, designers and commercialization engineers. This position is ideal for a hands-on, solutions-focused engineer who thrives on experimentation, iteration, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and build lab-scale experimental systems to test new food safety concepts and validate performance metrics.
• Plan, execute, and document laboratory trials, or coordinate execution with test engineers; ensure experimental rigor and reproducibility.
• Analyze test data to extract insights, validate hypotheses, and inform design iterations using statistical or process analysis methods.
• Research and evaluate enabling technologies (e.g., fluid handling, heating, instrumentation) to enhance lab and pilot-scale systems.
• Develop, scale, and optimize pilot plant systems that replicate lab conditions at intermediate throughput, with a focus on reliability and scalability.
• Support the transition from pilot to production scale by refining processes, selecting industrial components, and addressing scale-up challenges.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with microbiologists, designers, and commercialization engineers to align on requirements.
• Develop design documentation, process flow diagrams, P&IDs, and specifications required for system validation and eventual commercialization.
• Communicate design criteria, and specifications to the design and commercialization teams.
• Contribute to innovation roadmap discussions by identifying opportunities for technology differentiation and IP generation.
• Occasional travel for technology research and system testing, which could include travel within North America and Internationally (India, China, etc.).

Qualifications:

• Degree in Mechanical, Chemical, or Process Engineering (or related discipline)
• 4–7 years of experience in product or process development, ideally in food, biotech, or clean-tech industries
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and accounting systems and software.
• Proficiency with Solidworks and AutoCAD or other similar design software
• Valid Driver’s license & insurance.
• Must have a valid passport to travel internationally (i.e., China, India, Egypt, etc.)
• Must be able to travel up to 20% of the time.

Skills:

• Hands-on experience with prototyping, lab equipment, and pilot plant design
• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with large, complex data sets.
• Familiarity with liquid application systems, temperature control, automation, vaporization systems and instrumentation
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work across technical and non-technical teams.
• Experience in regulated industries (e.g., food safety, pharma) is an asset.
• Demonstrates ownership of tasks and projects
• Technical proficiency in engineering principles and methodologies

As part of our commitment to inclusivity, diversity, equity and accessibility, our goal is a workforce built on respect that reflects the communities we serve. We thank all applicants for their interest in Agri-Neo but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

We are proud to be in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) 2005, and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation. We are happy to honor accommodations at any part of the recruitment process and invite you to let us know how we can help.