Senior Food Product Development Lead

Placements24; Mbombela (Nelspruit); Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical aid

Pension fund

Leave entitlements

Professional development/training

Career growth opportunities

Product discounts

Job summary

Placements24 in Mpumalanga seeks a seasoned Product Development Manager to lead the food innovation pipeline from concept to commercialization. You will guide formulation, sourcing, and process development, while aligning with R&D, marketing, sales, and operations to bring new products to market.

You will manage sensory programs, validate with consumer testing, and ensure safety and quality compliance across projects, leveraging your expertise in food science and regulatory knowledge to deliver

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemical Engineering or a related field.
• 7+ years in product development/R&D in FMCG foods with a track record of launches.
• Strong knowledge of food chemistry, processing, packaging, and safety standards.
• Experience with sensory analysis, consumer research, and statistics.

Responsibilities

• Lead ideation and development of new food products aligned with market trends.
• Oversee formulation, ingredient sourcing, and process development for quality and cost.
• Conduct sensory tests, consumer studies, and shelf-life validation.
• Collaborate with R&D, QA, Production, Marketing, and Sales to scale from lab to production.
• Develop product positioning, claims, and launch strategies while managing timelines and budgets.
• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations and internal standards.

Skills

Food science knowledge

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Sensory evaluation

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Food Science/Technology/Chemical Engineering

Job description

Placements24 in Mpumalanga seeks a seasoned Product Development Manager to lead the food innovation pipeline from concept to commercialization. You will guide formulation, sourcing, and process development, while aligning with R&D, marketing, sales, and operations to bring new products to market.

You will manage sensory programs, validate with consumer testing, and ensure safety and quality compliance across projects, leveraging your expertise in food science and regulatory knowledge to deliver