Group R&D Manager/Specialist - Culinary

SUMMARY:
The Group R&D Manager/Specialist, Culinary leads the end-to-end R&D agenda for Our Client’s Culinary portfolio (including seasoning cubes, granules and adjacent culinary products) across their Africa operating markets. Reporting to the Group Senior Manager, R&D, the role owns the category innovation pipeline — from consumer-led briefs through formulation, scale-up and commercial launch — and is the technical authority for the Culinary category across the Group.  The position involves extensive travel within Africa.

POSITION INFO:
Category Strategy & Pipeline Define and own the multi-year R&D plan for the culinary category, aligned with brand, commercial and Group innovation priorities. Build and prioritise a fully costed pipeline of new product development, renovation and value-engineering projects. Generate proprietary technology, ingredients and process ideas that drive distinctive competitive advantage. Product Development & Launch Lead end-to-end NPD from concept through formulation, lab and pilot trials, factory scale-up, sensory and consumer validation, and commercial launch. Develop new and renovated seasoning cubes, granules, pastes, marinades and adjacent culinary formats. Lead salt-reduction, fortification (iodine, iron, vitamin A) and clean-label initiatives in line with public-health priorities. Design recipes that deliver authentic regional African taste profiles validated by sensory and consumer panels. Ensure robust documentation: specifications, BOMs, shelf-life dossiers, technical files and launch hand-overs. Quality, Regulatory & Food Safety Ensure all category products meet regulatory and food-safety standards across various operating markets (incl. NAFDAC, SON, GSA, KEBS, FDB and others) and relevant international standards. Partner Quality and Regulatory teams on labelling, claims, fortification and shelf-life validation. Cross-Functional Partnership Partner Marketing and Insights to translate consumer briefs into winning technical concepts. Partner Procurement and Supply Chain on ingredient qualification, alternative sourcing and multi-source specifications. Partner Operations and Engineering on factory readiness, line trials and process robustness. Technology, Sustainability & External Partnerships Maintain expert command of savoury flavour systems, bouillon and seasoning cube manufacture, granulation, drying, hot-fill, blending and aroma encapsulation. Identify and evaluate emerging technologies, ingredients and process improvements for the category. Build strong working relationships with key suppliers, co-manufacturers and external technical partners. Team Leadership Lead, coach and play a role developing the category R&D team across markets. Set clear objectives, deliver structured feedback and build succession in the category. KPI's Commercial impact NPD vitality - share of culinary category revenue from products launched in the last 36 months. Gross-margin uplift delivered through reformulation and value-engineering programmes. Culinary R&D budget delivered vs. plan. Pipeline & execution Number and value of projects launched on time and on quality. Stage-gate cycle time from concept to first shipment. First-time-right launch rate (target distribution, sell-through and consumer score within 12 months). Quality, safety & compliance Zero major regulatory or food-safety incidents on culinary launches. Consumer complaint rate (PPM) for the culinary category - year-on-year reduction. On-time submission of regulatory dossiers in each operating market. People & capability Team engagement and retention vs. Group benchmark. Successful onboarding of new joiners and capability progression of the team. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA) required Degree/BTech in Food Science & Technology, Chemistry, Nutrition or related discipline; Master's preferred. 8-10 years' progressive R&D experience in FMCG, with strong specialisation in culinary or closely related categories. Hands-on experience with savoury flavour development, MSG / yeast-extract / hydrolysate systems and bouillon-cube technology. Familiarity with fortification, salt-reduction and clean-label reformulation programmes. Working knowledge of FSSC 22000 / ISO 22000, HACCP and Codex Alimentarius, and familiarity with African food regulatory regimes. Experience leading small technical teams and managing cross-functional projects. Strong project and stage-gate discipline; consumer and commercial mindset.