Research and Development Officer at HRsmartrecruit – Yaba, Lagos

HRsmartrecruit is recruiting a full-time Research and Development Officer in Yaba, Lagos, to guide innovation, food-product formulation and improvements to manufacturing processes.

Key responsibilities

• Lead new-product development from initial concept and formulation through prototypes, sensory trials, pilot runs, factory scale-up and launch.
• Use customer insights, market research and competitor intelligence to identify opportunities for innovation.
• Improve existing products for quality, sensory performance, nutritional value, stability, shelf life and cost without compromising specifications.
• Develop process parameters, resolve scale-up difficulties and work with process engineers and production teams to improve efficiency.
• Maintain formulas, ingredient and product specifications, bills of materials, process records and regulatory technical documentation.
• Evaluate raw materials and suppliers for performance, quality, cost and sustainability, working with Procurement on sourcing alternatives.
• Support initial production and commercialisation, investigate technical problems and coordinate improvements with Production, Quality and Regulatory Affairs.
• Maintain laboratory and project standards, support HACCP, GMP and ISO 22000 compliance, and coach R&D colleagues.

Qualifications and skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering or a relevant technical subject.
• Three to five years of relevant research, product-development or process-optimisation experience in food, beverage or FMCG operations.
• A postgraduate qualification or professional certification in food safety, quality, product development or project management is an advantage.
• Knowledge of food chemistry, sensory science, ingredient functionality, stability, formulation, process validation and scale-up.
• Understanding of HACCP, GMP, ISO 22000 and applicable NAFDAC, SON and FCCPC requirements.
• Analytical thinking, experimental problem-solving, commercial judgement, stakeholder collaboration and team-development skills.