Product Development Specialist Job Job Details | O&L

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

Responsible for leading and driving the technical development of new products from concept to launch. Additionally, improving or re-engineering existing Namibia Dairies products to optimize costs, aligned with market demands and trends, and enhance consumer satisfaction.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCES:

• Minimum 4-year degree in Food Science and/or Food Processing.
• Minimum 4-6 years of proven working experience in a similar position within the Dairy Industry, with at least 3 years at a supervisory or junior management level.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

Product, Production & Process Support

• Develop and implement re-engineering strategies and initiatives to enhance product performance, reliability, and manufacturability. Reconstitute, analyse, and optimize existing recipes to find cost-effective alternatives without compromising quality.
• Support root cause analysis on process and recipe deviations and provide inputs and recommendations to relevant teams and process owners.
• Maintain awareness of industry regulations, standards, and best practices to ensure compliance and quality in product development processes.

Product Development

• Design & develop new products to ensure the best possible value offering, considering the current production environment.
• Create & manage product specifications. Includes requesting product specifications and other technical documentation from suppliers, creating internal specifications, and reviewing & approving any updates to current product specifications
• Coordinate prototype development, testing, and refinement to ensure product performance, quality, and safety standards are met. Direct the testing of prototype products from conception to Measuring & Evaluation.
• Evaluate the technical side of solicited and unsolicited product ideas or inventions and recommendconceptualization or termination.
• Ensure compliance with the Trial Process and Checklist, report on all innovation trials conducted, ensuring compliance with the Trial Report template for record-keeping purposes, and to prevent trial products from ending up in the market
• Closely coordinate ingredient and material costings with the procurement department on the new and optimized products

• Advise on the correct execution of dairy procedures and processes, suggesting best practices
• Advise on recipe changes where needed as per raw material availability
• Provide data-driven recommendations for recipe modifications to elevate product quality
• Provide input on product specifications and features based on recipe and process changes
• Work closely with manufacturing partners to scale up production processes and ensure a seamless transition from prototype to mass production. During projects maintain internal departmental relationships.

Cost-Effective Recipe Management

• Collaborate with procurement, engineering, marketing, quality assurance, and supply chain teams to understand product performance, customer feedback, and market trends.
• Assess existing product designs, recipes, intrinsics, components, and processes to identify opportunities for re-engineering and optimization. Conduct ongoing analysis of product specifications, materials, and manufacturing processes to identify areas for improvement in cost, quality, and efficiency.
• Collaborate with procurement and production teams to source cost-effective ingredients for existing recipes.
• Conduct and collaborate on the technical aspects of cost analysis and projections for innovations and product optimization implementations for the business.

Process Improvement & Optimization

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of process improvements as these pertain to optimized and/or new products.
• Conduct research and benchmark current dairy processes and technology against industry trends and recommend process improvement.
• Collaborate with production and processing teams to test, troubleshoot, and oversee the implementation of process changes and equipment validation as these pertain to optimized and/or new products.

SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES:

• Technical Food (preferably dairy) Knowledge / Process improvement expertise, incl. but not limited to:
• Working knowledge of ingredient functionality, product formulations, and basic food preparation
• Understanding of regulatory and food labeling regulations
• Working knowledge of sensory evaluation procedures; utilizing a well-developed sense of taste, smell, and texture (mouthfeel)
• Working knowledge & understanding of manufacturing equipment, systems & and environments
• Working understanding of GMP, HACCP, ISO, and other quality assurance systems
• Intermediate Financial Acumen
• Excellent time management skills and sense of urgency
• Clear and assertive communication and interpersonal skills
• Innate drive to complete all assignments on a timely and detail-oriented basis
• Adaptive and adaptable learning ability
• Tenacity and perseverance
• High Emotional intelligence/stress tolerance/ resilience
• Problem-solving skills / Sound judgment skills

Closing date: 12 June 2024

O&L - a Great Place to Work.

Applicants meeting our requirements are invited to apply. O&L Group of Companies is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

"This position is subject to a pre-employment screening and vetting process, and by applying for this position, applicants acknowledge that they are aware that the Company reserves the right to carry out screening and pre-employment vetting for all shortlisted applicants. Certificate of Conduct issued by the Namibian Police (not older than 6 months) may be required from all shortlisted applicants."

Requisition ID: 4019