Research and Development Specialist

Job Role:

Under the guidance of R&D Officer, the Research & Development Specialist is responsible for conducting research and development of new menu concepts/products and the enhancement of existing menu items of the Brands. These efforts must result in meeting consumer needs, demands, maintaining high food quality standards and meeting profitability guidelines that are compatible with operational systems.

Duties and Responsibilities:

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

·       Liaising to plan, execute, evaluate and accurately document the menu item trials, first production launches, and bulk production.

• Partner with marketing and concerned departments on the initiation of products for development, product/process improvement and cost reduction considering quality of profitability.
• Submit new product for evaluation of supervisor.
• Standardizes product preparation, cooking and handling procedures at the store.
• Standardizes ingredients and packaging specifications.
• Sets the recommended quality control checks.
• Plans and execute projects according to priority and ensure timeline are met.
• Conduct category and product research to provide support to the innovation and marketing effort.
• Document cost analysis, comparison and evaluation of new products.
• Documents product formula, preparation procedures and specifications of new and improved products
• Safeguard the confidentiality of experimental data, findings and trade secrets of the company.
• Keeps track of recent advancements in food processing, food packaging, processing equipment, quality control methods and their possible adaptation in the current operations.
• Conduct demo and photo shoot of product.

NEW AND ALTERNATIVE RAW MATERIAL

·       Cross-functional work with Purchasing on sourcing of new raw materials (food ingredient and packaging) by providing materials profile and required specification and packaging unit.

·       Provide material substitution (food ingredient and packaging), shelf-life studies, standards setting, test kitchen activities and other research projects.

·       Evaluate new raw materials profile and its applicability to existing products and recommends to Assistant Manager and Head – Research & Development for final recipe formulation and approval of Marketing and management.

·       Create new specification chart and share with the Training Department.

·       Conduct post -launch monitoring, secure user's feedback and reports to Assistant Manager and Head – Research & Development on issues encountered with the use of the new raw materials for proper action.

PROCESS MODIFICATION

·       Recommend modifications on current processes to address issues related to product quality and taste.

·       Coordinate with Operations on the testing (time/motion study) of any proposed changes in the product handling, preparation and storage.

·       Finalize new processes after on-site testing and endorsement of Operations.

• Collaborate with the Supply Chain department for cost optimization.

·       Lead cascade to the Operations (users) on the new processes needed.

RECORDS MANAGEMENT

·       Prepare and update recipe cards that include the product formula and preparation procedure and submits this to the Training group for review.

·       Prepare Advisory of the approved alternative raw materials and emails to cross-functional teams to effect changes in food cost and BOM.

·       Maintains product specifications and product costing information on file ensuring that it is consistent, accurate and up-to-date.

·       Safeguard the confidentiality of experimental data, findings and trade secrets of the company.

·       Keeps track of recent advancements in food processing, food packaging, processing equipment, quality control methods and their possible adaptation in the current operations.

·       Perform other tasks that may be assigned from time to time.

Qualifications:

• Graduate of BS Nutrition
• Must be a Registered Nutritionist-Dietician
• Must have at least 1 year of experience in the food industry as RnD

• Knowledgeable in

• Menu Development / Recipe Development

• Costing
• Basic Cooking Techniques
• Can calculate calorie count / nutritional facts