Assistant Manager R&D

Role Overview

The Assistant Manager – R&D (Non-Tea Product Development) will be responsible for end-to-end product development across café beverages, bakery items, and Indian snacks — from concept creation to final product launch.

The role demands strong technical expertise, creative innovation, and cross-functional coordination to ensure every product is profitable, compliant, and aligned with brand quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

1. End-to-End Product Ownership

2. Take full ownership of product lifecycle — from concept, formulation, raw material selection, trials, standardization, costing, and rate finalization up to serving to the end customer.

3. Perform detailed cost calculations including ingredient costing, yield percentage, portion size, packaging cost, wastage margin, and selling price determination.

4. Ensure cost-effectiveness while maintaining high product quality, consistency, and customer satisfaction.

5. New Product Research & Development

6. Conceptualize and develop new non-tea products, Indian snacks, café items, and bakery offerings.

7. Conduct lab and pilot-scale trials, sensory evaluation, and recipe standardization.
8. Maintain complete technical documentation including formulations, testing results, and shelf-life studies.

9. Coordinate with the Procurement and Vendors for sourcing new raw materials and ingredients.

10. Product Innovation & Market Research

11. Continuously study food trends, café menus, and consumer preferences.

12. Innovate new product categories and revamp existing ones using modern methods and Indian taste insights.

13. Develop seasonal or festival-based products that enhance brand value and sales.

14. Cross-Functional Collaboration

15. Collaborate with Production, Procurement, Quality, Marketing, Operations, and Accounts teams for timely execution of new product trials.

16. Coordinate with Accounts for rate finalization and profitability validation.

17. Support Training & Operations teams during rollout by preparing SOPs, process manuals, and recipe cards.

18. Regulatory & Compliance Knowledge

19. Possess strong working knowledge of FSSAI regulations, product licensing, labeling norms, packaging compliance, shelf-life declaration, and ingredient safety.

20. Ensure all new products are compliant with government norms and approved under relevant licenses before market introduction.

21. Liaise with external agencies or consultants when required for product registration or labeling approvals.

22. Leadership & Team Development

23. Lead and mentor junior R&D executives, interns, and trial assistants.

24. Encourage innovation, systematic recordkeeping, and accuracy in trials.

25. Conduct in-house training sessions for chefs, production, and quality teams.

26. Documentation & Reporting

27. Maintain R&D trial registers, recipe masters, cost sheets, sensory evaluation reports, and final approval documents.

28. Prepare monthly R&D progress reports, pending trial lists, and cost updates for management review.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of café, bakery, and Indian snack product development.
• Expertise in costing, yield analysis, and final rate fixation.
• Familiar with FSSAI norms, food labeling, and packaging standards.
• Excellent coordination, analytical, and documentation skills.
• Innovative mindset with leadership and problem-solving ability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's / Master's degree in Food Technology, Food Science, or Hotel Management.
• 4–7 years of relevant experience in R&D or product innovation within food & beverage / QSR / café industry.

Performance Indicators

• Number of successful new product launches (concept to rollout).
• Accuracy in costing and profitability of final products.
• Compliance with regulatory norms and documentation standards.
• Team performance and innovation contribution.
• Inter-department coordination efficiency and implementation success.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: ₹350, ₹500,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Cell phone reimbursement
• Provident Fund

Work Location: In person