Research And Development Officer

Responsibilities:

Product Development:

Develop new formulations for seasoning cubes, powders, tomato paste and jollof spices.

Develop new flavours, variants and product concepts based on market and consumer needs.

Conduct laboratory and pilot-scale product trials.

Convert successful laboratory formulations into production-scale formulations.

Seasoning Cube Development:

Develop and improve cube formulations for taste, aroma, colour, hardness, dissolution and stability.

Conduct trials on different combinations of salt, spices, flavour enhancers, starches, fats, colours and other approved ingredients.

Improve cube performance while maintaining commercial viability.

Conduct competitor benchmarking and sensory comparison.

Seasoning Powder & Spice Development:

Develop jollof spice and other seasoning powder formulations.

Optimise spice combinations for taste, aroma, colour, heat level and consistency .

Test different particle sizes and ingredient combinations.

Conduct trials to improve flowability, moisture stability and shelf life.

Tomato Paste Development:

Develop and improve tomato paste formulations.

Conduct trials involving Brix, pH, colour, viscosity, consistency, taste and stability .

Evaluate alternative raw materials and ingredients.

Conduct shelf-life and stability studies.

Product Improvement & Cost Optimisation:

Reformulate existing products to improve quality and consumer acceptance.

Identify opportunities to reduce formulation costs without compromising quality.

Evaluate alternative raw materials and suppliers.

Work with Procurement and Production to identify commercially viable ingredients.

Sensory Evaluation:

Organise product tasting and sensory evaluation sessions.

Compare new formulations against existing products and competitors.

Gather feedback and use findings to improve formulations.

Maintain proper sensory evaluation records.

Shelf-Life & Stability:

Conduct accelerated and real-time shelf-life studies.

Monitor changes in taste, colour, aroma, moisture, pH, Brix, texture and other relevant parameters.

Recommend appropriate storage conditions and shelf-life periods.

Production Scale-Up:

Work closely with Production during new product trials.

Translate laboratory formulations into factory-scale production.

Monitor initial production batches and resolve formulation-related challenges.

Develop and maintain approved master formulations and product specifications.

Regulatory & Documentation

Ensure new formulations use approved food-grade ingredients.

Prepare technical documents required for product registration and regulatory submissions.

Support NAFDAC-related product registration and modification processes.

Maintain confidential records of all formulations and product-development activities.

Requirements:

A minimum of 1 years of experience A minimum of a degree in a related field 

R&D KPIs:

Number of successful new products developed.

Number of successful product improvements/reformulations.

R&D trial success rate.

Time taken from concept to commercialisation.

Consumer sensory acceptance scores.

Product stability and shelf-life performance.

Successful production scale-up.

Formulation cost savings.

Number of commercially viable product innovations.

Compliance of formulations with regulatory requirements.