Associate Product Lifecycle Manager

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
Responsibility
KPI/ Metric to Measure Success
Current Year Target
Always strive to live our Riverside Values as we deliver results
Self-assessment supported by peer feedback & sharing over/under played examples (self-awareness) with leader
>prior year “Our Values match our culture” (team result)
Cross-Functional Orchestration: Serve as the "single source of truth," aligning disparate teams around a unified product plan
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
3 months
Lead Product Launches: Manage multiple new product launch projects, ensuring they meet the approved business case & meet deadlines
Deliver >95% of product launches on time and within approved business case parameters
No aged inventory withing first 4 months of Launch
6 months
Lifecycle Management: Drive the end-to-end management of product renovations, delisting, and transitions, with a focus on reducing liabilities and optimizing inventory
≥95% of changeover milestones delivered on time within PLM scope
≥98% accuracy/completeness and ≥95% on-time delive