Senior End-to-End Food & Beverage Product Developer

Placements24; Centurion; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical aid

Retirement fund

Generous annual leave

Modern laboratory facilities

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Product Development Specialist for its Centurion FMCG R&D team. You will lead end-to-end development from concept to commercialization, grounded in strong food science practice.

You will collaborate with marketing, operations, and quality teams to translate consumer insights into robust formulations while ensuring regulatory compliance and shelf-life optimization.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Science/Technology, Chemistry, or related field.
• 4–6 years of product development experience in FMCG food/bev.
• Strong knowledge of food chemistry, microbiology, ingredient functionality.
• Hands-on formulation, sensory analysis, and shelf-life studies.
• Familiarity with HACCP, ISO, and quality management systems.
• Excellent laboratory and record-keeping skills.
• Strong project management and collaboration abilities.
• Proficiency in MS Office and cross-functional teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end development of new food and beverage products from ideation to commercialization.
• Conduct lab-scale formulation, testing, and refinement for taste, texture, shelf-life, and nutrition.
• Collaborate with marketing to translate consumer insights into viable product concepts.
• Manage pilot plant trials and scale-up with operations and engineering.
• Ensure compliance with food safety standards and regulatory requirements (HACCP, ISO).
• Source and evaluate new ingredients and suppliers, maintain material databases.
• Develop product specifications, manufacturing instructions, and QA guidelines.
• Conduct sensory evaluations and consumer testing to guide improvements.
• Stay informed on new technologies, ingredients, and best practices.

Skills

Lab skills

Documentation

Project management

Communication

MS Office

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Food Science/Technology or Chemistry

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a Product Development Specialist for its Centurion FMCG R&D team. You will lead end-to-end development from concept to commercialization, grounded in strong food science practice.

You will collaborate with marketing, operations, and quality teams to translate consumer insights into robust formulations while ensuring regulatory compliance and shelf-life optimization.