Associate Manager - R&D

About the role

Lead the RD team responsible for product development and improvement across multiple restaurant brands. Set RD priorities, project timelines, resources and development standards in alignment with business objectives. Lead new product development from consumer/market insight through concept, formulation, validation, commercialization and launch. Work closely with senior management, Chefs, Marketing and Operations to establish product direction and priorities.

Key responsibilities

• Lead complex product/process/quality problems and coordinate cross-functional teams to identify root causes and implement solutions
• Make technical and commercial decisions balancing product quality, food cost, operational complexity, scalability and consumer expectations
• Review and approve recipes, specifications, SOPs, shelf-life validation and product standards
• Establish systems and standards for recipe development, testing, validation, documentation and commercialization
• Lead ingredient and supplier development together with Procurement and QA
• Monitor and improve food cost, product consistency and operational efficiency across brands
• Conduct regular store visits and establish mechanisms to identify recurring product and process problems
• Manage communication between RD, Chefs, Marketing, Operations, QA, Procurement and suppliers
• Manage, coach and develop RD team members; assign projects according to capability and workload
• Continuously monitor food trends, technologies, ingredients and competitors to identify innovation opportunities

About you

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Culinary Science or a related field
• Typically 5+ years of relevant experience, with significant experience in food R&D, product development or restaurant/food manufacturing
• Previous experience managing people, projects or cross-functional teams
• Strong technical knowledge of food formulation, processing, shelf life, food safety and commercial food development
• Strong understanding of restaurant operations, consumer trends, menu strategy and food economics
• Strong leadership, decision-making and problem-solving capabilities
• Ability to manage multiple projects across different restaurant brands simultaneously
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Able to develop people and build a high-performing RD team
• Strong commercial mindset with the ability to balance quality, consumer experience, operational feasibility, speed and cost