About the job
The R&D Lead is responsible for driving innovation, product development, product improvement, process optimization, and technical support across a diverse portfolio including:
- Chocolate Drinks
- Cocoa Powder
- Chocolate Bars
- Packaged Water
- Refined Soya Oil
- Crude Palm Kernel Oil (CPKO)
- Refined Palm Kernel Oil (RPKO)
- Animal Feeds
- Seasonings
- Choco Pops
- Choco Cubes
The role ensures that all products meet consumer expectations, regulatory requirements, quality standards, profitability targets, and business growth objectives while supporting continuous innovation and operational excellence.
Key Responsibilities
Product Development & Innovation
- Lead the development of new products from concept to commercialization.
- Identify market trends, consumer insights, and innovation opportunities.
- Develop formulations for:
- Chocolate beverages
- Cocoa powders
- Chocolate confectionery
- Seasonings
- Breakfast cereals (Choco Pops)
- Choco Cubes and snacks
- Animal feed products
- Edible oils
- Improve existing products to enhance quality, nutrition, shelf life, and profitability.
- Manage product reformulation projects to meet regulatory, cost, and customer requirements.
- Translate consumer insights into commercially viable products.
Research & Technical Development
- Conduct scientific research on raw materials, ingredients, processing technologies, and packaging solutions.
- Evaluate and introduce innovative ingredients and technologies.
- Develop technical specifications and product standards.
- Perform benchmarking against competitor products.
- Lead product trials, pilot plant activities, and scale-up processes.
Process Optimization
- Optimize manufacturing processes to improve:
- Product consistency
- Yield
- Productivity
- Cost efficiency
- Troubleshoot manufacturing challenges and provide technical solutions.
- Collaborate with production teams to ensure successful technology transfer.
- Reduce product variability and waste.
Quality & Food Safety Support
- Work closely with Quality Assurance teams to ensure compliance with:
- GMP
- HACCP
- FSSC 22000
- Local Food Regulations
- Support root cause analysis of product quality issues.
- Establish critical product quality attributes and process controls.
- Ensure products consistently meet microbiological, chemical, contaminant and sensory requirements.
Regulatory & Compliance Management
- Ensure compliance with:
- Food safety regulations
- Codex standards
- Local regulatory requirements
- Review product labels and nutritional information.
- Support product registration with regulatory.
Sensory & Consumer Evaluation
- Design and conduct sensory evaluation programs.
- Analyze consumer feedback and market performance.
- Lead product acceptance testing.
- Drive continuous improvement based on consumer preferences.
Project Management
- Manage multiple R&D projects simultaneously.
- Develop project timelines, budgets, and resource plans.
- Ensure projects are completed within agreed timelines and budgets.
- Present project updates to senior management.
Supplier & Raw Material Management
- Evaluate and approve new raw materials and suppliers.
- Develop alternative raw materials to mitigate supply risks.
- Support procurement in ingredient selection and technical evaluation.
- Ensure raw material specifications meet product requirements.
Team Leadership
- Lead and develop R&D Specialists.
- Establish departmental KPIs and objectives.
- Mentor team members and support succession planning.
- Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Number of successful new product launches.
- Product development project completion rate.
- Reduction in production costs through reformulation.
- Improvement in product quality scores.
- Reduction in product complaints.
- Success rate of commercialization projects.
- Speed-to-market for new products.
- Shelf-life improvement achievements.
- Regulatory compliance performance.
Qualifications
- Master's Degree in Food Science, Product Development, Food Engineering
Experience
- 8–15 years of progressive experience in Food & Beverage Manufacturing.
- Minimum 5 years in a leadership role.
- Proven experience in product development projects involving: Chocolate products, Cocoa processing, Seasonings, Edible oils, Animal feeds, Beverages, Cereal products
Technical Competencies
Product Categories Expertise
- Cocoa Processing
- Chocolate Manufacturing
- Beverage Formulation
- Edible Oils Processing
- Animal Feed Formulation
- Seasoning Development
- Breakfast Cereals Technology
Technical Skills
- Product formulation
- Statistical analysis
- Shelf-life studies
- Sensory science
- Food chemistry
- HACCP implementation
- Root Cause Analysis
- Risk Assessment
- Project Management
Behavioral Competencies
- Strategic Thinking
- Innovation Mindset
- Leadership & Coaching
- Problem Solving
- Decision Making
- Results Orientation
- Cross-functional Collaboration
- Communication & Presentation Skills
- Stakeholder Management
Expected Deliverables
- Innovative, market-leading products.
- Continuous cost and quality improvements.
- Robust product specifications and standards.
- Successful commercialization of R&D projects.
- Compliance with food safety and regulatory requirements.
- Sustainable business growth through innovation and product excellence.
Gmail
Yahoomail