New Product Development Specialist

Location: Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

Company/Brand: Nature's Choice A leading importer and processor of premium dates, expanding into innovative date-based products.

Job Summary

We are seeking a skilled Product Development Specialist to lead the creation and scaling of factory-ready date-based products, including protein bars, date bites, syrups, pastes, and stuffed dates. You'll bridge culinary innovation with industrial food science, ensuring recipes translate into stable, shelf-stable products that meet commercial production standards, regulatory requirements (e.g., FSSAI), and consumer demands for health-focused snacks.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and refine recipes for date-derived products, optimizing for taste, texture, nutrition, and functionality using dates as the primary ingredient.

Conduct R&D to create stable, factory-friendly formulations with extended shelf life (e.g., via pasteurization, preservatives, packaging innovations, and moisture control).

Perform lab-scale prototyping, pilot production trials, and scale-up testing to ensure products withstand commercial manufacturing processes like extrusion, filling, and drying.

Analyze product stability through accelerated shelf-life testing, microbial assessments, and sensory evaluations.

Collaborate with supply chain, production, and quality teams to source ingredients, select equipment, and comply with food safety standards (FSSAI, HACCP, ISO 22000).

Stay updated on trends in clean-label, plant-based foods and innovate with dates (e.g., high-fiber bars, sugar-reduced syrups).

Document formulations, processes, and costings for efficient handoff to manufacturing.

Qualifications and Skills

Bachelor's or Master's in Food Technology, Food Science, Nutrition, or Chemical Engineering (Prefferd).

Experience in food product development, ideally with experience in snacks, syrups, pastes, or fruit-based products; prior work with dates or dried fruits is a plus. We are considering freshers as well for this role, so if you feel you hit the mark, do apply.

Proven track record in scaling recipes to industrial production, including stability testing (e.g., water activity, pH, packaging interactions).

Hands-on knowledge of food processing equipment (mixers, extruders, retorts) and preservation techniques for shelf-stable goods.

Strong understanding of Indian food regulations (FSSAI licensing, labeling, nutritional claims) and export standards if applicable.

Proficiency in lab tools (texture analyzers, viscometers) and software like Design-Expert or Excel for formulation modeling.

Creative problem-solver with excellent communication skills for cross-functional teams.

What We Offer

Competitive salary (5-8 LPA based on experience)

Opportunity to shape our product portfolio during rapid scaling.

Health insurance, PF, and professional development in food innovation.

How to Apply

Send your resume and a portfolio of developed products to [Confidential Information] with subject Product Development Specialist Application.