New Product Development Manager (R&D)

Beeworks Food; Puchong; On-site; MYR 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A food innovation company in Puchong, Malaysia is seeking a skilled Food Product Developer to manage the new product development pipeline. The successful candidate will lead all aspects of product concepts, ensuring compliance with safety standards and market needs. Requirements include a degree in food science, 5 years of relevant experience, and proficiency in Microsoft Office. The role demands collaboration across departments to drive successful product launches within a compliance-driven environment.

Qualifications

• 5 years of experience as a food product developer, R&D chef, or food scientist.
• Experience in QSR, FMCG, or food industry product development.
• Ability to work independently while managing multiple tasks.

Responsibilities

• Manage the new product development pipeline for annual rollouts.
• Lead product concepts from idea to commercialization.
• Ensure compliance with Halal certification and quality standards.

Skills

Product development

Cross-functional collaboration

Food safety compliance

Analytical abilities

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in food science or related

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

Create, manage, and govern the new product development pipeline portfolio to ensure consistent annual rollouts of innovative and profitable products.

Ensure all NPD initiatives align with business strategy, consumer needs, and market opportunities.

Monitor progress of all NPD projects and adjust development plans when concepts are not performing as expected.

Lead all aspects of bringing successful product concepts from idea to commercialization, ensuring timely and successful market launch.

Develop prototypes and product samples, conduct internal and external tastings, and refine products based on feedback.

Own and be fully accountable for all recipes and food costing across all menus, not limited to new products.

Prepare accurate product costing for new and proposed products in collaboration with Supply Chain and Finance.

Drive cost-saving initiatives by collaborating with Supply Chain on insourcing, testing, and qualifying lower-cost raw materials.

Conduct product testing and comparisons to ensure new raw materials meet quality and performance standards while reducing total cost.

D. Production, Packaging & Certification

Oversee and follow up on production trials, packaging development, and design readiness.

Ensure Halal certification, HACCP compliance, and all regulatory requirements are met prior to product launch.

Ensure SOPs, specifications, forms, and records for all new products are completed, approved, and available before launch.

Maintain strict documentation control in compliance with HACCP, Halal, and internal quality standards.

E. Food Safety, Quality & Process Alignment

Uphold food safety as a shared responsibility and escalate any food safety or quality concerns immediately.

Work closely with Quality Management (QM) to conduct process alignment audits, while QM manages requirements audits.

Ensure full alignment between process execution and quality requirements.

F. Cross-Functional Collaboration

Collaborate closely with Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain and Quality Management, to drive the Customer-to-Concept process.

Liaise with all internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth product development, production readiness, and launch execution.

Where appropriate, establish and lead cross-functional introduction teams to ensure coordinated and effective product launches.

Qualifications and Preferred Skills

Bachelor’s degree in food science / food technologies / required. Marketing, business management or a related discipline preferred.

5 years of proven success as a food product developer, R&D chef, or food scientist.

Experience leading new product development in QSR, FMCG or food industry and leading cross functional teams.

Required language(s): Good command of spoken and written English & Bahasa Malaysia.

Computer literacy – Proficient in especially Excel and other Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) with other.

Requires strong written and oral communication skills, planning and organization skills, and strong analytical abilities.

Can interpret syndicated market data and research and recommend appropriate actions.

Capable of working independently and staying organized while assuming multiple responsibilities and tasks.

Able to motivate, problem solve, deal with ambiguity, and effectively prioritize business needs.