New Product Development, Assistant Manager (R&D)

Role and Responsibilities

A. New Product Strategy & Pipeline Management

• Create, manage, and govern the new product development pipeline portfolio to ensure consistent annual rollouts of innovative and profitable products.
• Ensure all NPD initiatives align with business strategy, consumer needs, and market opportunities.
• Monitor progress of all NPD projects and adjust development plans when concepts are not performing as expected.

B. Product Development & Commercialization

• Lead all aspects of bringing successful product concepts from idea to commercialization, ensuring timely and successful market launch.
• Develop prototypes and product samples, conduct internal and external tastings, and refine products based on feedback.
• Own and be fully accountable for all recipes and food costing across all menus, not limited to new products.

C. Cost Optimization & Continuous Improvement

• Prepare accurate product costing for new and proposed products in collaboration with Supply Chain and Finance.
• Drive cost-saving initiatives by collaborating with Supply Chain on insourcing, testing, and qualifying lower-cost raw materials.
• Conduct product testing and comparisons to ensure new raw materials meet quality and performance standards while reducing total cost.

D. Production, Packaging & Certification

• Oversee and follow up on production trials, packaging development, and design readiness.
• Ensure Halal certification, HACCP compliance, and all regulatory requirements are met prior to product launch.
• Ensure SOPs, specifications, forms, and records for all new products are completed, approved, and available before launch.
• Maintain strict documentation control in compliance with HACCP, Halal, and internal quality standards.

E. Food Safety, Quality & Process Alignment

• Uphold food safety as a shared responsibility and escalate any food safety or quality concerns immediately.
• Work closely with Quality Management (QM) to conduct process alignment audits, while QM manages requirements audits.
• Ensure full alignment between process execution and quality requirements.

F. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain and Quality Management, to drive the Customer-to-Concept process.
• Liaise with all internal and external stakeholders to ensure smooth product development, production readiness, and launch execution.
• Where appropriate, establish and lead cross-functional introduction teams to ensure coordinated and effective product launches.

Qualifications and Preferred Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in food science / food technologies / required. Marketing, business management or a related discipline preferred.
• 5 years of proven success as a food product developer, R&D chef, or food scientist.
• Experience leading new product development in QSR, FMCG or food industry and leading cross functional teams.
• Required language(s): Good command of spoken and written English & Bahasa Malaysia.
• Computer literacy – Proficient in especially Excel and other Microsoft Office applications (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook) with other.
• Requires strong written and oral communication skills, planning and organization skills, and strong analytical abilities.
• Can interpret syndicated market data and research and recommend appropriate actions.
• Capable of working independently and staying organized while assuming multiple responsibilities and tasks.
• Able to motivate, problem solve, deal with ambiguity, and effectively prioritize business needs.
• Working knowledge of the food industry.