Product Data Excellence Lead

Accountable for product data governance and BOM integrity across R&D and Operations
Department: Research & Development
Reporting to: Director, Research & Development
The pay range for the role is $75,200 to $125,400 plus bonus, comprehensive benefits, retirement savings plan, paid vacation, and other perks and opportunities.

Role Summary
Gay Lea Foods is seeking a Product Data Excellence Lead to own the integrity, governance, and continuous improvement of product data across R&D and Operations.
This role is accountable for ensuring that product formulations are accurately translated into structured, complete, and executable Bills of Materials (BOMs) within enterprise systems.
The position ensures BOMs and product data are validated and ready to support manufacturing, costing, and compliance requirements, while driving workflow discipline through the commercialization process.
Working closely with R&D, Operations, Quality, Regulatory, and Finance, this role supports consistent data practices, clear ownership, and scalable product data processes.
Key Responsibilities
1. Product Data Ownership & Governance

Own end-to-end product data governance, including BOM structure, standards, and data integrity
Define and enforce data governance processes, roles, and responsibilities across R&D and Operations
Ensure BOM accuracy, completeness, and alignment with product specifications and system requirements
Establish data quality metrics and monitoring processes, and drive issue resolution
Act as the central point of accountability for product data integrity

2. BOM Management & System Integrity

Oversee the creation, maintenance, and lifecycle management of BOMs in ERP (e.g., D365) and formulation systems
Ensure accurate translation of formulation data into executable BOM structures
Maintain version control, change management, and documentation standards
Partner cross-functionally to ensure timely and accurate BOM updates for product launches and changes
Support system alignment and integration between R&D and Operations tools

3. Process Excellence & Continuous Improvement

Identify and implement improvements to product data processes, workflows, and governance practices
Reduce errors, rework, and cycle time related to BOM and product data management
Drive standardization and best practices across teams
Support reporting and insights on data quality, process efficiency, and performance
Lead change management efforts to improve adoption of data standards and processes

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, Data Management, or related field
6-8+ years of experience in product data, master data, BOM management, or related roles
Experience working with ERP or PLM systems; D365 experience is preferred
Demonstrated experience in data governance, process improvement, operational excellence or workflow standardization initiatives
Experience in manufacturing, food, dairy or regulated production environment is an asset
Lean, Six Sigma, APICS/CPIM, PMP, or related process/project management certification is an asset

Key Skills

Strong data governance and data quality management capability
High attention to detail with strong execution discipline and follow-through
Process improvement and continuous improvement mindset
Cross-functional leadership and stakeholder influence
Systems thinking including ERP / PLM integration and data flows
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Excellent communication and change management capability