Senior Manager – New Product Development

Job Title: Senior Manager – New Product Development (NPD) – Food & Cosmetics Brand

Location: Mumbai

Salary: Open to negotiate for the right candidate

Experience: 4 to 10+ years

Employment Type: Full-Time

About the Role

We are seeking a highly driven, innovative, and technically strong Senior Manager – New Product Development (NPD) to lead the creation of breakthrough food and cosmetic products. This role spans ideation, formulation, testing, packaging, and commercialization of new product lines that blend science with consumer lifestyle needs.

From developing functional foods to designing high-performance skincare, you will play a pivotal role in turning bold ideas into successful market launches. If you thrive on building future-ready products at the intersection of nutrition, beauty, and wellness—this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities

Product Ideation & Conceptualization

• Identify consumer trends across nutrition, skincare, and beauty to propose new product concepts.
• Lead cross-functional ideation workshops to build a strong pipeline of innovative launches.
• Conduct market, technical, and financial feasibility studies for both food and cosmetic products.

Recipe & Formula Development

• Develop new food formulations balancing taste, nutrition, and cost objectives.
• Create cosmetic formulations (skincare, haircare, and body care), ensuring efficacy, safety, and sensory appeal.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards for FSSAI (food) and FDA/BIS (cosmetics).
• Optimize formulations for scalability, stability, and consumer satisfaction.

Prototyping & Product Testing

• Manage kitchen/lab trials and pilot batches for both food and cosmetic ranges.
• Collaborate with QA, R&D, and regulatory teams to design robust testing protocols.
• Conduct sensory evaluations, stability studies, dermatological safety tests, and shelf-life analysis.

Packaging Innovation

• Partner with packaging and design teams to develop functional, aesthetic, and sustainable packaging.
• Stay ahead of global packaging trends in food safety and cosmetic luxury design.
• Oversee compatibility and stability testing of formulations with packaging materials.

Nutritional, Efficacy & Compliance

• For food products: Ensure all products meet nutritional targets (e.g., clean label, high protein, low sugar).
• For cosmetics: Ensure formulations deliver proven efficacy (hydration, repair, anti-aging, etc.) backed by claims substantiation.
• Liaise with regulatory and legal teams for labeling, compliance, and documentation across categories.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with marketing, sales, supply chain, and procurement for smooth go-to-market launches.
• Collaborate with third-party labs, manufacturers, and co-packers across both verticals.
• Provide technical expertise during consumer trials and marketing campaigns.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in food technology, cosmetic science, chemistry, biotechnology, or related fields.
• 4–10+ years of NPD experience in FMCG, food & beverages, health foods, skincare, or cosmetics sectors.
• Proven track record of end-to-end product development (concept → formulation → market launch).
• Strong understanding of functional ingredients, actives, sensory science, and safety protocols.
• Hands-on experience with R&D trials, stability/shelf-life studies, and efficacy testing.
• Project management skills with the ability to balance creativity and technical rigor.
• Consumer-first mindset, curiosity, and passion for both wellness and beauty.

What You’ll Get

• Opportunity to shape innovations across nutrition and beauty categories in a high-impact brand.
• Exposure to global ingredient trends, food tech, cosmetic actives, and packaging design.
• Collaborative, fast-paced work culture with cross-functional leadership opportunities.
• Competitive compensation, a strong growth path, and flexibility for learning and development.

Location: Mumbai (On-site role with occasional travel to R&D centers, plants, and vendor facilities).