About the position
The incumbent will be responsible for timely delivery of new and reformulated products to market; reduction in formulation cost and process non-conformances; compliance with food safety, regulatory, and quality standards and successful completion of R&D trials and product validations.
The R&D Technologist will work closely with sales, marketing, production, quality, and procurement teams to drive innovation, optimize formulations, and ensure compliance with food safety and regulatory standards. Experience in food manufacturing is essential, while knowledge of fats and edible oils will be strongly advantageous.
Reports to Head of Sales & Marketing, COO and Site Manager.
Responsibilities:
- Lead product innovation projects from concept design through to factory implementation in line with company strategy and customer requirements
- Reformulate existing products to improve quality, cost efficiency, or nutritional value
- Conduct Lab-scale and factory trials to validate formulations and processes
- Support product enhancements related to sensory, stability, and shelf-life improvement
- Engage New Raw Material and Packaging Suppliers
- Work collaboratively with production and quality teams to troubleshoot process or formulation challenges
- Translate lab-scale formulations to full-scale manufacturing efficiently
- Develop and maintain product specifications, formulations, and SOPs
- Participate in continuous improvement projects focused on process efficiency and sustainability
- Customer visits, Sensory Evaluations
- Matching customer specs
- Ensure all R&D activities comply with food safety, quality, and regulatory standards (e.g., FSSC 22000, HACCP, Codex)
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date technical documentation, including trial reports, formulations, and change control records
- Liaise with suppliers and regulatory bodies to source and approve raw materials and ingredients
- Conduct ingredient functionality studies, competitor benchmarking, and trend analysis
- Identify innovative technologies and ingredients to enhance the product portfolio
- Provide technical input for customer presentations and project briefs
Requirements:
- Qualification in Food Technology or Biotechnology
- FMCG, Food Experience
- Food Safety, Legislation, Market Trends
- Strong technical problem-solving and analytical skills
- Creative thinker with a practical approach to innovation
- Excellent communication and teamwork abilities
- Attention to detail and commitment to product quality and safety
- Ability to manage multiple development projects simultaneously
Desired Skills:
- Research and development
- Edible oils
- Food safety
- Food manufacturing legislation
- HACCP
- R&D trials
- Formulation cost
- Market trends
- Change control records
- New product validations
Desired Qualification Level:
