Senior Food Product & Commercialization Lead

Barakat; Dubai; On-site; AED 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Barakat is seeking an experienced leader to own end-to-end product development and category management in the UAE. You will translate consumer insights into viable product concepts, collaborate with R&D and culinary teams, and drive launch readiness with cross-functional partners.

The role requires a strong track record in FMCG/F&B, familiarity with food safety and NPD processes, and the ability to create compelling value propositions for Retail, Hospitality, and Foodservice channels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Culinary Management, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in Category Management, Product/Brand Management, NPD, FMCG, Food Manufacturing, or F&B.
• Proven success in taking products from concept through commercial launch.
• Strong knowledge of food production, food safety, and NPD processes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Proficiency in presentations, analytics, spreadsheets, and project management tools.

Responsibilities

• Identify market opportunities, consumer insights, and category gaps.
• Develop commercially viable product concepts with R&D and Culinary teams.
• Own concept briefs, positioning, pricing targets, and profitability plans.
• Lead cross-functional product development from idea to launch.
• Take products from concept approval to commercial launch.
• Oversee specifications, costing, packaging, compliance, and launch readiness.
• Ensure smooth production rollout and first customer sale.
• Translate product concepts into compelling packaging and visual assets.
• Collaborate with agencies, designers, photographers, and chefs.
• Manage artwork approvals, digital assets, and brand compliance.
• Create impactful sales presentations and product pitch decks.
• Develop customer-focused value propositions and category stories.
• Support Sales teams with tailored presentations for Retail, Hospitality, and Foodservice.
• Lead product tastings, demos, and customer presentations.
• Partner with chefs to showcase products at premium quality standards.
• Develop tools and processes to support scalable product demonstrations.
• Monitor revenue, margin, sales performance, and SKU productivity.
• Conduct category reviews and identify growth opportunities.
• Lead product optimization, renovations, pricing, and portfolio decisions.
• Manage a strong innovation pipeline while maximizing category profitability.
• Act as the key contact for customer feedback and product requests.
• Build structured feedback and issue-resolution processes.
• Develop trusted relationships with key customer accounts and industry stakeholders.
• Convert customer insights into innovation and commercial opportunities.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Presentations

Analytics

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Food Science, Culinary Management, or related field

Tools

Spreadsheets

Project management tools

Job description

Barakat is seeking an experienced leader to own end-to-end product development and category management in the UAE. You will translate consumer insights into viable product concepts, collaborate with R&D and culinary teams, and drive launch readiness with cross-functional partners.

The role requires a strong track record in FMCG/F&B, familiarity with food safety and NPD processes, and the ability to create compelling value propositions for Retail, Hospitality, and Foodservice channels.