Assistant Manager-Product Development

Role Purpose/Summary

The following job description (JD) outlines typical responsibilities and qualifications for Asst Manager Product Development specializing in culinary sauces and related food products. This role involves leading the entire product life cycle from concept to commercialization within the food manufacturing industry to meet the short and the long-term priorities of the brand. This role supports new product development initiatives designed to create the robust pipeline of innovations across categories. The ideal candidate should have prior experience in a similar role and be eager to be part of the product development of Sauces

Asst Manager for sauces is responsible for design, implementation of new products / technologies or improvement of existing products. Product development and commercialization of new culinary sauces, as well as optimizing existing product lines. This role requires a blend of culinary expertise, food science knowledge, strong project management skills, and a keen understanding of market trends and regulatory requirements.

Reporting to: Senior Manager / Manager (Product Development)

Requirements:

1. Bachelor or Masters degree in Food Technology, Food Science, Food Engineering and related field

2. Experience: Proven experience (6-8+ years) in food product development, particularly in the culinary sauces (Pasta sauces, Schezwan, Manchurian, Sriracha etc.,) gravies and related processed foods.

3. Strong knowledge on Food safety, Regulatory and ability to apply flavours, stabilisers & other key functional ingredients in sauces.

4. Endurance & Flexibility: Willingness and ability to occasionally function effectively over extended periods of time.

5. Excellent written and oral communication skills, presentation skills

6. Must be have moderate knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

7. Good team player

8. Self-starter and self-motivating

Key Responsibilities

1. Design and develop new products from bench top/ concept to commercialization while staying within specified parameters of cost and label claims; evaluate new ingredients, verify nutritional profiles, and conduct product or packaging stability assessments to deliver against design.

2. Develop new process parameters and implement at plant whenever required

3. Investigate, analyse, and execute new product/process improvement and cost savings opportunities.

4. Manage documentation and records in order to ensure that they are complete, current, secure and easily retrievable. This may include designing, organizing or maintaining technical or regulatory records and reports. : Ensure all products and processes comply with food safety standards, quality assurance practices (e.g., HACCP), labelling requirements, and relevant regulations.

5. Identify, classify, maintain, and protect files, documentation and sensitive information consistent with record handling and retention requirements. Record data from analyses or experiments in a computer, log book or laboratory notebook.

6. Self-training to keep abreast of developing technologies, lifestyle & nutritional trends to maintain a competitive edge.

7. Development of lab scale prototypes, producing pilot plans for sauces and final products. Prepares sauces and conducts analytical tests on taste and/or odour according to sensory guidelines, including qualifying taste panellists.

8. Provides expertise and recommendations of best practices for production of sauce-based part or finished products during production trials with the plants or partners, which includes consulting line managers as appropriate on milestones and general guidelines and proactively provides advice inside & outside R&D community.

9. Participates in team projects, interdepartmental/divisional committees or company-wide initiatives in order to share information, represent the department/division perspective or assist with product development, process modification, package development and marketing.

10. Leverages prior education, suppliers and literature to innovate within scope of briefs provided by other technical experts or supervisor.

11. Applies food science knowledge of ingredients, packaging, processing to assure safe and high-quality products.

12. Participates in commercialization scale test at manufacturing line with QA and commercialization team if needed.

13. Market Insight: Competitive analysis to identify consumer needs, current trends, and new product opportunities, translating insights into product features and requirements.

14. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams including Production, Quality Assurance (QA), and Procurement to ensure seamless product development and successful market uptake.