Product Development Officer

We're hiring a Product Development Officer to work in a fast-growing firm

The successful candidate will assist in providing technical leadership and be a key contributor driving initiatives to develop and launch new and renovated products, processes and cost saving initiatives for our bakery. We are looking for an individual who enjoys working in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment, likes to be challenged, and values the opportunity to make a difference. He/she has developed practical experience and technical mastery in Food Science (baking technologies) allowing him/her to be already a resource in our company.

What you’ll do:

• Assist with designing a robust product development and product renovation programme that will drive cost reductions and proactive growth opportunities across all skus.
• Provide new product concepts in response to market trends on time and within agreed budget.
• Plan and organize routine, as well as non-routine research to identify and anticipate market needs that will influence development activities and assist in improving the quality of existing products.
• Accurately identify project requirements applying the right production capability, ingredients, formulation, and design to match customer needs, product specifications, and financial targets.
• Assist with driving success throughout a product’s lifecycle specifically from a food science/development perspective.
• Assist with designing, developing, and managing scale up of new products, raw materials, process, recipes and specifications that translate to full scale production and provide competitive advantage.
• Ensure that projects are completed on time and within budget.
• Assist with the design and execution of quality plans throughout the pipeline process – from raw materials to shelf life of finished products.
• Participate in and lead product tastings as well as internal sensory evaluations, product applications, and shelf life/ stress testing to determine acceptability of prototypes and competitive products for consumers.
• Effectively collaborate with immediate and cross-functional team members for example, Finance, Marketing, Sales, Quality and Production to ensure that new and existing products meet development targets and support the business strategy and financial goals.
• Develop and sustain relationships with outside labs, regulatory agencies, ingredient suppliers and lab equipment vendors as needed by project activity.
• Perform all activities in a safe manner and within the context of all our company’s safety protocols and GMP standards.
• Create, maintain, and ensure accuracy of product specification documents.
• Conduct and document product development lab work, including development of bench top prototypes, implementation and maintenance of testing, and pilot plant/commercial scale-up trials.
• Accurately prepare product samples and submit samples for analytical and sensory evaluation.
• Partner with quality in designing and conducting complex shelf life and storage studies, including product and package performance under various conditions and makes recommendations for appropriate adjustments in product and/or package as required.
• Translate/interpret recipes to fulfill regulatory/legal requirements.
• Assist with the building of cost models to support successful new product launch.
• Lead, train and mentor team members as well as provide technical advice to others within specialty.
• Support an environment that fosters innovation by continually introducing ideas and product concepts for new products, quality improvements, productivity and facilitate calculated risk taking.
• Provide technical and business risk assessment /perspectives related to new product development and technical brand stewardship activities.
• Support the development and implementation of raw material strategy in collaboration with purchasing and external vendors for differentiated new product performance and quality or cost reduction.

What you bring to the table

• Practical experience and technical mastery in Food Science (baking technologies).
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food engineering or other related applied science.
• Experience in a food manufacturing company
• 2+ years food product and/or process development from concept through commercialization - ideally both at the commercial bakery level.
• People management experience in a food or food ingredient company
• Strong food science and technology background including ingredients, processing, and manufacturing.
• Demonstrated ability to apply technical standards, principles, theories, concepts and techniques.
• Solid verbal and written communication and presentation skills; with all levels within an organization
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Solid PC proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Word, PowerPoint; intermediate to advanced proficiency level in Excel and database, statistical software (spreadsheets, computer analysis; report writing).
• Strong knowledge of GMP, HACCP and good laboratory practice for a food product development laboratory
• Demonstrated experience in leading multiple projects while delivering significant results.
• Solid understanding of food systems, ingredients, packaging, and processing interactions, experimental design, and statistical analysis
• Demonstrated experience to deal with ambiguity and can comfortably manage risks, changing priorities, and uncertainty.
• Strong interpersonal skills and proven ability to work across functions and influence both above and below level.
• Experience working with a broad range of ingredients (and suppliers), formulations, applications, technologies, and processes in Baking Industry.
• Familiar with a broad range of equipment typically found in commercial bakeries.

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following skills:

• Intellectual curiosity and ability to think critically and analytically.
• Strong communication and presentation skills (verbal and written)
• Ability to self-initiate and manage multiple project tasks independently to meet business objectives and to support the individuals of the workgroup.
• Outstanding time management, team working and communication skills.
• Ability to analyze and communicate implications of experimental results.
• Strong commitment to working safely and maintaining a safe work environment.
• Ability to flawlessly execute laboratory bench work and pilot-plant scale-ups.
• Must be well-organized, capture work details and learning and highlight any unexpected learning.
• Must possess ability to work successfully in cross-functional teams.
• Ability to analyze and communicate implications of emerging consumer trends.
• Proven track record in maintaining good working relationships with business partners.
• Occasional flexibility in working hours to setup and complete focus groups, product expos, pilot plant scaleups, or plant trials that may extend past typical working hours.