Product Development Manager

OLAM COCOA PTE. LTD.; Singapore; On-site; SGD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

OLAM Cocoa PTE. LTD. is seeking a results-driven Product Development Specialist to lead end-to-end cocoa product development—from concept and prototyping to scale-up and commercial launch.

You will drive innovation by identifying market trends, customer needs, and business opportunities to create cocoa-based solutions. You will collaborate with Commercial, Marketing, Operations, Quality and Supply Chain teams to deliver successful launches, translate customer requirements into innovative product

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or a related technical discipline.
• Experience in product development, food innovation, applications or R&D, preferably within cocoa manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience taking products from laboratory or prototype stage through scale-up and commercial launch.
• Experience engaging directly with customers to develop technical or product solutions would be highly advantageous.
• Experience facilitating innovation, ideation or product development workshops would be beneficial.
• Practical understanding of structured innovation processes, including Design to value.
• Strong understanding of food quality, food safety and product development requirements.
• Experience working across Commercial, Marketing and Operations functions in a matrix environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end B2B new product development, from concept, formulation and prototyping through to scale-up and commercial launch for the cocoa products.
• Drive product innovation by identifying market trends, customer needs, and business opportunities to develop new cocoa-based solutions.
• Manage and grow a robust innovation pipeline, ensuring projects are prioritized based on customer value, commercial potential, and technical feasibility.
• Oversee IEC Lab activities, ensuring effective execution of product trials, prototype development, documentation, and compliance with food safety and quality standards.
• Act as the key technical partner to customers and internal stakeholders, translating customer requirements into innovative product solutions.
• Collaborate closely with Commercial, Marketing, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to deliver successful product launches.
• Facilitate customer innovation sessions and workshops, applying Design Thinking principles to generate and validate new product concepts.
• Develop prototypes and product applications for customer evaluation and refine solutions based on feedback.
• Support product commercialization by managing scale-up activities, mitigating technical risks, and ensuring launch readiness.
• Provide technical expertise and product knowledge to support customer engagement and business growth.

Skills

Product development

Food science

R&D

Customer collaboration

Design thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or related

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end B2B new product development, from concept, formulation and prototyping through to scale-up and commercial launch for the cocoa products.
• Drive product innovation by identifying market trends, customer needs, and business opportunities to develop new cocoa-based solutions.
• Manage and grow a robust innovation pipeline, ensuring projects are prioritized based on customer value, commercial potential, and technical feasibility.
• Oversee IEC Lab activities, ensuring effective execution of product trials, prototype development, documentation, and compliance with food safety and quality standards.
• Act as the key technical partner to customers and internal stakeholders, translating customer requirements into innovative product solutions.
• Collaborate closely with Commercial, Marketing, Operations, Quality, and Supply Chain teams to deliver successful product launches.
• Facilitate customer innovation sessions and workshops, applying Design Thinking principles to generate and validate new product concepts.
• Develop prototypes and product applications for customer evaluation andrefine solutions based on feedback.
• Support product commercialization by managing scale-up activities, mitigating technical risks, and ensuring launch readiness.
• Provide technical expertise and product knowledge to support customer engagement and business growth.

Requirements

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or a related technical discipline
• Relevant experience in product development, food innovation, applications or R&D, preferably within cocoa manufacturing environment
• Demonstrated experience taking products from laboratory or prototype stage through scale-up and commercial launch
• Experience engaging directly with customers to develop technical or product solutions would be highly advantageous
• Experience facilitating innovation, ideation or product development workshops would be beneficial
• Practical understanding of structured innovation processes, including Design to value
• Strong understanding of food quality, food safety and product development requirements
• Experience working across Commercial, Marketing and Operations functions in a matrix environment