Level Up is looking for an experienced Technical Manager – Pet Food to lead the development and innovation of pet food products from concept to launch. The role will oversee product R&D, raw materials, packaging, costing, testing, scale-up, shelf-life studies, troubleshooting, and regulatory compliance.
The ideal candidate should have strong expertise in Pet Care and Animal Nutrition , excellent technical and analytical skills, and the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop commercially viable pet food products.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead pet food product development from concept to launch.
- Optimize formulations, ingredients, raw materials, and packaging.
- Manage pilot testing, scale-up, shelf-life studies, and troubleshooting.
- Review product costing and identify cost-saving opportunities.
- Manage project budgets, timelines, and priorities.
- Ensure compliance with pet food safety and regulatory requirements.
- Monitor market trends, competitors, and customer feedback.
- Support product innovation and differentiation.
- Collaborate with internal teams and external suppliers.
- Lead supplier innovation initiatives, including Innovation Day.
- Provide technical guidance on product development and improvements.
- Manage multiple projects while meeting quality and business objectives.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Animal Science, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) , or a related field.
- Certifications in Pet Food Safety and regulatory requirements .
- At least 10 years of pet food Product R&D experience , preferably in a managerial role.
- Experience handling raw materials and packaging materials.
- Strong knowledge of pet food costing and cost optimization.
- Experience managing budgets and technical projects.
- Proven experience in pilot testing, scale-up, shelf-life studies, and troubleshooting.
- Knowledge of pet food registration, regulatory, legal, and compliance requirements.
- Strong understanding of pet food market trends and competitor analysis.
- Excellent technical, analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Strong cross-functional collaboration and supplier management skills.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office and recipe/BOM management software.
- Strong leadership and people management skills.
- Creative, proactive, assertive, open-minded, and results-oriented.