Senior R&D Technologist

One Connect Solutions; Durban; On-site; ZAR 350,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

One Connect Solutions in Durban, South Africa, is seeking a skilled Food Product Developer to lead new product development and reformulation projects in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.

The role focuses on developing and optimizing formulations, conducting laboratory and manufacturing trials, and ensuring compliance with food safety and regulatory standards. You will work with production, quality, procurement and sales teams to drive innovation and quality improvements.

Qualifications

• Degree in food technology, biotechnology or related field.
• Strong R&D and product development experience in food manufacturing.
• Experience with product formulations and manufacturing trials.
• Strong food safety knowledge and regulatory understanding.
• Excellent analytical and technical problem-solving abilities.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Manage new product development and reformulation projects.
• Conduct laboratory and manufacturing trials.
• Develop and optimise product formulations.
• Support product quality, stability and shelf-life improvements.
• Troubleshoot formulation and manufacturing challenges.
• Develop and maintain product specifications and SOPs.
• Support process optimisation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Maintain accurate technical and R&D documentation.
• Ensure compliance with food safety, quality and regulatory standards.
• Conduct ingredient research, benchmarking and trend analysis.
• Collaborate with production, quality, procurement, sales and other internal stakeholders.

Skills

Product development

R&D

Formulation

Quality & regulatory

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Project multitasking

Communication

Education

Food Technology

Biotechnology

Related field

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Manage new product development and reformulation projects.
• Conduct laboratory and manufacturing trials.
• Develop and optimise product formulations.
• Support product quality, stability and shelf-life improvements.
• Troubleshoot formulation and manufacturing challenges.
• Develop and maintain product specifications and SOPs.
• Support process optimisation and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Maintain accurate technical and R&D documentation.
• Ensure compliance with applicable food safety, quality and regulatory standards.
• Conduct ingredient research, benchmarking and trend analysis.
• Work closely with production, quality, procurement, sales and other internal stakeholders.

Minimum Requirements

• Qualification in Food Technology, Biotechnology or related field.
• Strong R&D/product-development experience within food manufacturing.
• Experience working with product formulations and manufacturing trials.
• Strong understanding of food safety and regulatory requirements.
• Excellent analytical and technical problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication and stakeholder-management ability.
• Ability to manage multiple development projects simultaneously.

Important:

Relevant specialist product-development experience within the food manufacturing sector will be a key consideration.