Research and Development Officer

About the role

The Research and Development Officer will drive product innovation and technology transfer for a food company. The role focuses on creating new product concepts, replicating existing tastes, and ensuring that raw material and packaging standards meet quality and regulatory requirements.

Key responsibilities

• Support the creation, formulation, and prototyping of new food products.
• Conduct product replication, validation tests, and cook‑outs with internal teams and partners.
• Evaluate equipment, packaging, and product parameters for compatibility.
• Set specifications for raw materials and manage standardisation of packaging.
• Coordinate product costing, gross‑margin targets and organise sensory, nutritional, microbiological and physicochemical testing.
• Participate in market and competitor checks, develop sustainable raw‑material alternatives and drive product improvement initiatives.
• Maintain accurate technical documentation, regulatory filings and revision histories for all product changes.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Technology or a related field.
• At least 2 years of hands‑on experience in research & development or quality assurance within a reputable food company.
• Basic knowledge of culinary concepts, ingredient handling and taste profiling.
• Professional Food Technologist licence is an advantage but not mandatory.

Required skills

• Food technology and product formulation.
• Sensory analysis.
• Microbiological testing.
• Physicochemical testing.
• Nutritional analysis.