Sr. Associate New Product Development

Job Category:

Research & Development

Job Family:

Applied Research & Development

Job Description:

Develop new and innovative products and manufacturing processes to meet customer needs. Modify existing products and processes to improve overall quality or costs. Develop or identify new or more cost effective ingredients and production methods. Support contract manufacturing customers on projects, trials and startups.

What you'll do:

Product Development & Innovation

• Lead development of new products in
• UHT Beverages (milk, flavored milk, cream, dairy beverages, plant-based beverages)
• Fermented Dairy Products (yogurt, lassi, cultured beverages, probiotic products)
• Natural & Processed Cheese (Mozzarella, Cheddar, Gouda, Cheese Sauce, Cheese Spread, Analogue Cheese)
• Develop robust formulations meeting quality, sensory, cost, and shelf-life requirements.
• Conduct laboratory, pilot plant, and commercial scale trials.
• Drive innovation pipeline aligned with market trends and consumer insights.
  
  

Cost Optimization

Lead value engineering and cost-reduction initiatives. Identify alternate ingredients and suppliers while maintaining product functionality. Improve process yields and manufacturing efficiencies.

Quality & Regulatory Compliance

Ensure compliance with FSSAI, customer, and export requirements. Support shelf-life studies and product validation. Review ingredient declarations, nutritional claims, artwork, and technical documentation.

Technical Leadership

Provide technical guidance to R&D, Operations, QA, and Commercial teams. Develop process SOPs, specifications, stability protocols, and validation procedures. Evaluate new technologies, ingredients, cultures, enzymes, and processing solutions.

Process & Commercialization

Lead scale-up activities from bench-top to commercial production. Establish manufacturing processes and product feasibility criteria. Support plant commissioning, commissioning trials, and product launches. Troubleshoot processing and quality issues related to dairy products.

Technical Competencies:

UHT Technologies

• Aseptic processing and filling
• Indirect and direct UHT systems
• Product stability and shelf-life management
• Emulsions/stability and beverage formulation
  
  

Fermented Products

• Starter culture selection
• Fermentation process optimization
• Probiotic and functional dairy development
• Texture and sensory optimization
  
  

Cheese Technologies

• Natural cheese manufacturing
• Processed cheese formulation
• Yield optimization
• Functional performance evaluation
• Cheese applications for QSR, foodservice, and retail
  
  

What you need to succeed:

• M. Tech in Dairy Technology, Dairy Microbiology, Food Technology ( Dairy Technology preferred )
• 3 - 5 years experience in Dairy R&D, processing.
• Minimum 1-2 years of hands-on experience in UHT and/or Cheese product development.
• Experience in UHT processing, milk processing Dairy Products development is preferred.
• Cultured dairy products manufacturing experience preferred.
• Strong analytical and dairy component understanding.
• Desire to grow and take on new challenges and opportunities.
• Internal Partners: Must be in current role a minimum of 2 years
• Ability to travel up to 25%
  
  

Key Competencies

• Strong technical problem-solving skills
• Innovation mindset
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Customer-centric approach
• Commercial acumen
• Project execution excellence
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
  
  

Additional Skills

• Statistical analysis and experimental design
• Project management
• Regulatory compliance
• Shelf-life studies
• Cost optimization
• Consumer insights and sensory evaluation