Regional Operations Lead (Non-Coffee Beverage Innovation)

Zuspresso (M) Sdn Bhd; Shah Alam; On-site; MYR 167,000 - 257,000; Full time

Job summary

Zuspresso (M) Sdn Bhd in Malaysia is hiring a Regional Operations Lead for Non-Coffee Beverage Innovation to steer beverage R&D, product development and scaling across regional markets.

Lead a team of junior R&D members, ensure quality compliance, and collaborate with Supply Chain, QA/QC and Halal teams to maintain regulatory standards while driving margin growth.

Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science/Technology or related field required.
• Minimum 5+ years in F&B R&D, preferably in fast-paced retail/QSR.
• At least 2 years in a senior or supervisory capacity.

Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end New Product Development (NPD) from insights to outlet-ready launches.
• Ensure new beverages are viable for high-volume retail environments.
• Upskill and lead a team of junior R&D members, review formulations for sensory consistency and cost-performance.
• Utilize app and sales data to iterate on menu offerings and local tastes.
• Qualify raw material suppliers to meet high-quality benchmarks.
• Build partnerships with vendors for supply resilience and early access to ingredients.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain to validate ingredient costs and optimize margins.
• Translate bench tests into SOPs for Academy and Retail Operations teams.
• Partner with QA/QC and Halal departments to ensure regulatory compliance.

Skills

Leadership

Team management

R&D leadership

Data analysis

Education

Degree in Food Science

Degree in Food Technology

Culinology

Job description

Regional Operations Lead (Non-Coffee Beverage Innovation)

The Technical Operations Lead leads beverage innovation, product development, and R&D team capabilities while ensuring scalability, quality compliance, and commercial viability across regional markets.

Key responsibilities

Drive the end-to-end New Product Development (NPD) process, moving from consumer insights to outlet-ready launches at a \"tech-startup\" pace

Ensure every new beverage is operationally viable for high-volume retail environments

Manage and upskill a team of junior R&D members, reviewing their formulations for sensory consistency and cost-performance alignment

Utilize data from mobile app and sales analytics to iterate on menu offerings and localized tastes

Lead the technical qualification of raw material suppliers to ensure they meet high-quality benchmarks

Build deep partnerships with vendors to ensure supply resilience and early access to innovative ingredients

Collaborate with Supply Chain to validate ingredient costs and optimize margins for regional scaling

Translate complex R&D bench tests into simplified Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Academy and Retail Operations teams

Partner with the QA/QC and Halal departments to ensure all new ingredients and processes comply with food safety and regulatory standards

Lead investigations into product incidents or quality feedback from outlets, driving corrective actions with suppliers when necessary

About you

Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Culinology or a related field

Minimum 5+ years in F&B R&D, ideally within a fast-paced retail chain or QSR environment

At least 2 years in a senior or supervisory capacity, with a passion for coaching junior food scientists

Deep knowledge of the cafe-scene, beverage sensory benchmarking, and ingredient functionality

Comfortable working in a tech-enabled, fast-growing company where priority shifts and rapid expansion are the norm

Your application will include the following questions:

• Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Malaysia?


• What's your expected monthly basic salary?


• How much notice are you required to give your current employer?


• How many years of experience do you have in the Beverage Industry?