R&D Food Technologist

TAILORBLEND; Midrand; On-site; ZAR 650,000 - 950,000; Full time

Job summary

TAILORBLEND in Johannesburg (Fourways / Riversands) is seeking an experienced R&D Food/Flavour Technologist to own the ingredient rules and the recipe engine that generates personalised powder blends.

You will build carrier bases and flavour/masking systems, source actives, set blending rules, maintain the nutrient database, choose excipients, and ensure labelling and regulatory compliance for every generated product in a lab-and-factory environment.

Qualifications

• BSc in Food Science or Food Technology, NQF 7.
• 5+ years in supplement manufacturing, pharma, or flavour-house lab.
• Experience with powders or powder-to-beverage.
• Formulation work with actives and sweeteners.
• Basic knowledge of food labelling.

Responsibilities

• Build and improve carrier bases and flavour masking that adapt to changing actives.
• Source and screen new or replacement active ingredients.
• Set blending rules, including min/max dosages and ingredient compatibility.
• Keep nutrient and ingredient databases accurate for compliant labels.
• Choose excipients (anti-caking, flow aids, sweeteners).
• Ensure blend logic complies with regulatory requirements and quality standards.

Skills

Flavour masking systems

Ingredient sourcing

Regulatory/compliance understanding

Education

BSc Food Science or Food Technology (NQF 7)

Job description

R&D Food/Flavour Technologist

Company: TAILORBLEND

Position: R&D Food Technologist

Focus: Personalised powder nutritional products (batch size 1)

Reports to: Head of Product

Location: Johannesburg (Fourways / Riversands)

Employment type: Full-time, on-site

Salary: Market-related

THE COMPANY

TAILORBLEND makes personalised nutritional supplements (powder-form), one unique blend per person, from the production facility in Riversands / Fourways. Software builds each recipe based on user preferences and requirements. The food-tech problem is not one product. It is a matrix of vitamins, minerals, botanicals and amino acids that must stay safe, stable, and legal in every combination the software can generate.

This is a lab and factory role.

THE ROLE

You own the ingredient rules, base systems, and flavour/masking systems that the recipe engine runs on.

You will:

• Build and improve carrier bases (shakes, clear drinks, porridges) and flavour / masking systems that still work when the active load changes.
• Source and screen new or replacement active ingredients.
• Set blending rules: which ingredients can go together, min/max dosages, synergistic combinations.
• Keep the nutrient and ingredient database accurate so every generated recipe and dynamic label is correct under South African labelling rules.
• Choose excipients (anti-caking, flow aids, sweeteners).
• Make sure blend logic complies with relevant regulatory requirements. You are checking the rules that generate thousands of labels, not one artwork.
• Help ensure sourced ingredients meet stringent quality and safety standards.

REQUIREMENTS

• BSc Food Science or Food Technology (NQF 7).
• 5+ years hands-on in supplement manufacturing, pharma, or a flavour-house application lab, working with powders (or powder-into-beverage). Sports nutrition / nutraceutical plant counts.
• You have made formulations with functional actives (vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids) plus sweeteners and masking systems.
• Basic knowledge of food and nutritional product labelling.
• Flavour-house application lab or sensory training

NICE TO HAVE

• QA / QMS experience (cGMP, FSSC 22000, HACCP).