Hiring: Food Technologist – In-House Manufacturing, Quality & Food Safety

Location: Andheri East, Mumbai (Manufacturing Facility)

Employment Type: Full-time

Department: Manufacturing / Operations

Reports To: Founders / Head of Operations

Role Purpose

The Food Technologist will be the technical owner of in-house food manufacturing, responsible for ensuring all products are safe, compliant, consistent, shelf-stable, and scalable.

This role has end-to-end responsibility from raw material intake to finished goods dispatch, with authority over production processes, quality control, food safety systems, and factory discipline.

This is a hands-on factory-floor role, not a desk-based QA position.

Scope of Authority

The Food Technologist is authorized to:

Stop production in case of quality or food safety risk
Approve or reject raw materials, in-process batches, and finished goods
Define and enforce SOPs, GMP, and HACCP requirements
Set and modify production process parameters
Lead corrective and preventive actions (CAPA)

Key Responsibilities

1. In-House Production Management

Own daily production operations across all SKUs
Define and control batch sizes and process parameters
Monitor environmental conditions (temperature, humidity)
Ensure production targets, yields, and timelines are met
Troubleshoot issues related to texture, binding, moisture, breakage, and packaging
Minimise downtime, rework, and wastage

2. Product Development & Scale-Up

Translate R&D formulations into production-ready recipes
Conduct pilot trials and commercial validation batches
Optimise formulations for:
Shelf life
Process stability
Ingredient functionality
Cost efficiency
Support new product launches from trial to full-scale production

3. Quality Control & Quality Assurance

Design and implement factory-wide QC systems
Define quality specifications and acceptance criteria
Oversee:
Incoming raw material checks
In-process quality controls
Finished goods inspections
Review and approve batch manufacturing records
Manage non-conformances, deviations, and CAPAs

4. Food Safety, Hygiene & Compliance

Implement and maintain GMP and HACCP systems
Ensure compliance with FSSAI regulations
Maintain food safety documentation and records
Lead internal and external audits
Act as the primary food safety contact for regulatory authorities

5. Shelf Life, Stability & Packaging Control

Design and execute shelf-life and stability studies
Monitor oxidation, moisture migration, texture changes, and sensory drift
Validate packaging materials and sealing integrity
Define storage and distribution conditions
Implement natural shelf-life enhancement strategies

6. Raw Material & Supplier Quality

Approve raw material specifications and suppliers
Monitor ingredient variability and seasonal changes
Handle supplier quality issues and corrective actions
Maintain COAs and full traceability

7. Documentation & Traceability

Create and maintain:
SOPs
Work instructions
Batch records
Cleaning and sanitation logs
Ensure full lot traceability and recall readiness
Conduct mock recall drills when required

8. Team Training & Factory Discipline

Train production staff on SOPs, hygiene, and quality checkpoints
Enforce hygiene and food safety behaviour
Build a quality-first culture on the factory floor
Support hiring and evaluation of production staff

9. Continuous Improvement & Cost Optimisation

Lead initiatives for yield improvement and waste reduction
Optimise ingredient usage without compromising quality
Improve line efficiency and process robustness
Track and report production and quality KPIs

Qualifications & Experience

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Food Technology, Food Science, Food Engineering, Nutrition, or related fields

Experience

5–10 years of hands-on experience in in-house food manufacturing
Strong factory-floor exposure
Experience with shelf-stable products preferred
Audit and inspection handling experience required

Skills & Competencies

Food chemistry and ingredient functionality
Shelf-life science and packaging interactions
HACCP and GMP implementation
Root-cause analysis and problem-solving
Strong documentation and execution discipline
Leadership and decision-making under pressure

Career Growth Path

Food Technologist → Production & Quality Head → Plant Head / Operations Head