Senior Beverage Innovation & Commercialization Lead

Alshaya Group; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Alshaya Group in Dubai seeks a Senior R&D Manager - Beverage to lead end-to-end development of innovative beverages tailored to local preferences, ensuring alignment with Starbucks brand standards.

You will translate insights into concepts, manage recipe development, testing, costing and launches, and collaborate with Category, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Operations and suppliers to deliver commercially viable drinks for local markets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field required.
• Strong knowledge of beverage ingredients, formulation and sensory characteristics.
• Experience in food safety, quality standards and regulatory requirements.
• Experience in beverage trends, consumer preferences and menu innovation.

Responsibilities

• Lead local beverage innovation from concept to commercial launch.
• Develop new beverage recipes, flavours and formats based on regional trends.
• Translate insights into beverage concepts aligned with local preferences.
• Adapt global Starbucks concepts for the local market where appropriate.
• Lead ideation, prototyping, trials and product validation.
• Manage end-to-end R&D process including costing and documentation.
• Ensure all products meet brand standards, safety and quality requirements.
• Collaborate with suppliers to develop ingredients and solutions.
• Manage product costing and support viable recipes within target margins.
• Coordinate with Operations to ensure feasibility in stores.
• Oversee multiple R&D projects and timelines.
• Support successful product launches with specs and training materials.

Skills

Beverage development

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Flavor formulation

Sensory testing

Market research

Costing

Food safety

Regulatory understanding

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science

Beverage technology or related field

Job description

Alshaya Group in Dubai seeks a Senior R&D Manager - Beverage to lead end-to-end development of innovative beverages tailored to local preferences, ensuring alignment with Starbucks brand standards.

You will translate insights into concepts, manage recipe development, testing, costing and launches, and collaborate with Category, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Operations and suppliers to deliver commercially viable drinks for local markets.