Manager – New Product Development (NPD) – Beverages

Manager – New Product Development (NPD) – Beverages

Location: Lotus Dairy Products Pvt. Ltd. – Manda Plant (Sikar)

Reporting To: Head – New Product Development

Role Purpose

To lead and manage Beverage New Product Development activities from concept development through successful product commercialization, with responsibility for formulation, optimization, trials, scale-up, process validation, technology transfer, product quality, stability, cost optimization, and technical support for commercial launch.

Key Responsibilities

A. Beverage NPD & Innovation

• Lead the development of RTD beverages (Fruit-Based Beverages, Tea & Coffee Based Beverages, Functional & Nutritional Beverages, Energy & Sports Beverages, Hydration Beverages, Carbonated & Sparkling Beverages, Juice & Juice-Based Beverages, Herbal / Botanical Beverages etc.) products from concept to commercialization.
• Develop, optimize, and validate product formulations to achieve desired taste, texture, stability, nutritional profile, shelf life, quality, and cost targets.
• Lead laboratory, pilot-scale, and plant trials, including scale-up and technology transfer to commercial manufacturing.
• Evaluate and qualify new ingredients, flavors, stabilizers, emulsifiers, proteins, functional ingredients, and processing technologies for beverage applications.
• Conduct sensory evaluation, competitor benchmarking, product performance evaluation, and shelf-life/stability studies.
• Identify and resolve formulation, processing, packaging, and product stability issues through systematic technical troubleshooting.
• Drive product costing, value engineering, and cost optimization while maintaining product quality and consumer acceptance.
• Explore new beverage concepts, technologies, ingredients, and market trends to support the company's innovation pipeline.
• Develop prototypes and conduct iterative trials based on sensory, technical, commercial, and consumer requirements.
• Support development of products across relevant beverage technologies, including UHT, retort, chilled and other applicable processing systems.

B. Scale-Up & Plant Trial Management

• Plan and execute beverage trials from lab scale to pilot and commercial plant scale.
• Establish and validate critical formulation and process parameters during scale-up.
• Coordinate with Production, QA, Engineering, Procurement, and other relevant functions for successful plant trials.
• Monitor trial batches and identify deviations in processing, sensory attributes, stability, and product performance.
• Support troubleshooting during first commercial production and subsequent production batches.
• Ensure effective technology transfer from R&D to manufacturing.

C. Product Quality, Stability & Shelf Life

• Conduct and monitor shelf-life, stability, physical, chemical, microbiological, and sensory evaluations as applicable.
• Establish product specifications and acceptance criteria for developed beverages.
• Investigate product quality and stability issues and recommend appropriate corrective actions.
• Support optimization of packaging and processing conditions to achieve desired product shelf life and performance.

D. Cost Optimization & Technical Evaluation

• Develop and maintain product formulations and associated product costing.
• Identify opportunities for cost reduction and value engineering without compromising product quality.
• Evaluate alternative ingredients and suppliers from a technical, sensory, functional, and cost perspective.
• Support Procurement and other functions in technical evaluation and qualification of new materials.

E. Regulatory & Technical Documentation

• Ensure beverage formulations and development activities comply with applicable FSSAI and other regulatory requirements.
• Develop and maintain:
• Product formulations
• Product specifications
• Process parameters
• Trial protocols
• Trial reports
• Sensory evaluation records
• Stability/shelf-life reports
• Technical product documentation
• Provide technical inputs for label declarations, nutritional information, ingredient statements, and regulatory documentation as required.

F. Cross-Functional NPD Support

• Work closely with Marketing, Business Development, Production, QA, Regulatory, Procurement, Packaging, Engineering, and Supply Chain teams during product development and commercialization.
• Translate consumer, customer, and business requirements into technically feasible product concepts.
• Provide technical support for product presentations, customer trials, sampling, and product demonstrations.
• Participate in product review meetings and provide technical recommendations related to formulation, processing, quality, and feasibility.

Qualification

B.Tech / M.Tech / M.Sc. in Food Technology, Dairy Technology, Food Science, or a related field.

MBA or additional qualification in a relevant management discipline will be an added advantage.

Experience

• 8–12 years of relevant experience in Beverage, Food, Dairy R&D, or New Product Development.
• Strong hands-on experience in beverage formulation, laboratory and plant trials, scale-up, process optimization, troubleshooting, and technology transfer.
• Experience in RTD beverages UHT/retort/chilled /Carbonated/Non -Carbonated beverage systems will be preferred.
• Strong understanding of ingredient functionality, beverage processing, product stability, sensory evaluation, shelf-life, costing, and regulatory requirements.

Demonstrated ability to independently manage multiple NPD projects and work effectively with cross-functional teams.

Key Competencies

• Beverage Formulation & Product Development
• Product Innovation
• Plant Trial & Scale-Up
• Process Optimization
• Technical Troubleshooting
• Sensory Evaluation
• Stability & Shelf-Life Evaluation
• Ingredient & Supplier Evaluation
• Cost Optimization
• FSSAI & Regulatory Understanding
• Technology Transfer
• Technical Documentation
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Project Execution & Problem Solving