Regional R&D Director, Food Ingredients

Kerry Consulting; Johor; On-site; MYR 300,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Kerry Consulting is searching for a Regional R&D Director for a leading international food ingredients client based in Johor, Malaysia. This senior role shapes the regional technical priorities, aligning R&D with customer requirements and commercial growth across Asia Pacific.

The successful candidate will lead product development, application and innovation, driving scale-up and commercialization while partnering closely with Sales and manufacturing teams.

Qualifications

• Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Engineering, Chemistry or related discipline.
• Experience in food manufacturing or ingredients with new product development, scale-up and commercialization.
• Experience cocoa or cocoa-containing products is important.
• Strong commercial judgement and ability to partner with sales and other customer-facing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the R&D and innovation agenda across Asia Pacific based on customer requirements and market opportunities.
• Oversee regional product development, application and innovation activities and translate opportunities into technical programmes.
• Engage directly with customers to understand formulation, application and development needs.
• Provide leadership across product development, processing, manufacturing scale-up and commercialization.
• Develop and manage a multidisciplinary technical team and allocate resources to high-value projects.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Commercial acumen

Stakeholder management

Education

Degree in Food Science/Technology or related

Job description

Our client is a leading international food ingredients organisation seeking a Regional R&D Director to lead its technical and innovation agenda across Asia Pacific.

Based in Johor, Malaysia, this is a senior regional leadership role with responsibility for connecting R&D closely with customers, commercial teams and manufacturing. The successful candidate will shape regional technical priorities, lead customer-focused innovation programmes and ensure that R&D contributes meaningfully to commercial growth, product development and operational excellence.

We are open to candidates from both food ingredients and food manufacturing environments. Relevant experience could come from chocolate, dairy, beverages, bakery, confectionery, coatings or related product categories. However, a good appreciation of cocoa as an ingredient, ideally supported by direct experience developing cocoa-containing products, will be important.

This is not a purely technical R&D leadership position. The successful candidate will need strong commercial acumen and be comfortable partnering closely with Sales and other customer-facing teams, ensuring that technical activities address genuine customer requirements and commercial opportunities.

Responsibilities

The Regional R&D Director will lead the R&D and innovation agenda across Asia Pacific, establishing priorities based on customer requirements, market opportunities and wider business objectives. The individual will oversee regional product development, application and innovation activities and work closely with commercial colleagues to translate customer opportunities into relevant technical programmes.

A significant part of the role will involve engaging directly with customers to understand their formulation, application and product development requirements. The individual will provide leadership across product development, processing, manufacturing scale-up and commercialisation, while working closely with manufacturing and other functions to ensure solutions can be delivered effectively at commercial scale.

The role will also lead and develop a multidisciplinary technical team, prioritising R&D resources towards projects that deliver meaningful customer and business value, while collaborating with technical colleagues across the organisation's wider regional and global network.

Requirements

We are looking for an experienced R&D, product development or technical leader with a degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Engineering, Chemistry or a related discipline. The successful candidate should have developed their career within a food manufacturing or food ingredients environment, with solid exposure to new product development, manufacturing scale-up and commercialisation.

Relevant experience working with cocoa or cocoa-containing products is important. Candidates could potentially come from chocolate, dairy, beverages, bakery, confectionery, coatings or fillings where cocoa has formed a meaningful part of their product development experience.

Previous team leadership experience is important, although we are open to candidates making the step into a broader regional leadership position. Equally important will be strong commercial judgement and an appreciation of how R&D can support customers, sales opportunities and broader business objectives.

The successful candidate should be comfortable engaging directly with customers, partnering commercial teams and operating across multiple functions and markets. Prior Asia Pacific experience would be advantageous.