RD supervisor

1) Supervise product/formula development

Receive briefs from Marketing/OEM customers and convert them into Product briefs / experimental formulas

Design formulas: raw materials, specifications, nutrition (if any), cost targets, shelf life

Plan and control Trial / Pilot / Scale-up until ready for actual production (Mass)

2) Ensure "formulas are actually producible" and control quality during development

Define critical Process parameters (temperature/time/viscosity/mixing/filling/sealing/retort, etc.)

Summarize production conditions into Master Recipe / Work Instruction for the production department to follow

Perform DOE / Problem solving when encountering issues during trials, such as phase separation, color change, incorrect odor, inconsistent texture, seal leakage, etc.

3) Specification documentation and standard systems

Prepare/review key documents such as:

Product specification, formula, BOM, Packaging spec

Finished goods spec / In-process spec

Shelf-life plan / Stability test plan

Coordinate with QA/Regulatory to ensure compliance with GHP/HACCP/BRC/ISO and customer requirements

4) Control costs and raw materials/packaging

Compare raw material/supplier options: quality–price–consistency–risk

Perform Costing and find ways to reduce costs without affecting quality/standards

Approve the use of new raw materials/packaging in development work (in collaboration with QA/Purchasing according to the system)

5) Manage RD team and work delivery

Plan weekly/monthly work, set priorities, assign tasks, coach the team

Set KPIs for the RD team, such as development lead time, trial success rate, cost target achieved, complaint rate after launch

Summarize reports for management/customers (Project status, risk, next action)

6) Cross-departmental coordination (very important task)

Work with Production/Engineering during scale-up and to solve machine/process problems

Work with QA/QC regarding test methods, acceptance criteria, validation

Work with Purchasing/Supplier regarding samples, new raw materials, MOQ/Lead time

Work with Sales/Marketing/Customer regarding product samples, labels, product claims

Qualifications: Bachelor's degree or higher in Food Science/ Food Tech/ Chemistry/ Microbiology/ Biotechnology/ Chemical Eng. or related fields Good cross-departmental communication skills (RD–Production–QA–Purchasing–Customer) Proficient in Excel (costing, formulation table, data analysis) Able to prepare reports/PowerPoint presentations English proficiency at a level to read specifications/COA/research and communicate via email Understanding of relevant production processes Able to prepare system documentation: Spec, BOM, Master recipe, WI, change control, basic validation Possess patience