Job Description

The R&D Executive is responsible for the development and industrialisation of UHT plant-based products (plant-based beverages, creams and creamers), managing projects independently from concept to commercialisation.

The role acts as technical project owner within the UHT cluster, coordinating laboratory and pilot plant activities and working cross-functionally with Production, QA, Regulatory, Supply Chain, Marketing and Sales to ensure successful product delivery.

• Independently manage UHT product development projects (NPD and renovation) for plant-based beverages and creams
• Develop and optimize formulations based on plant proteins, vegetable oils and fats, stabilizers and emulsifiers

Design and execute experiments to optimize:

• Physical and emulsion stability.
• Viscosity and texture.
• Protein stability under thermal treatment.
• Shelf life performance.
• Plan and lead laboratory, pilot plant and industrial UHT trials.
• Optimize processing parameters (homogenization, thermal treatment, pressure, temperature profile) in relation to formulation requirements.
• Troubleshoot common UHT plant-based challenges and issue.
• Coordinate and supervise pilot plant technicians during trials.
• Support scale-up and industrialization activities.
• Collaborate with QA and Regulatory to ensure compliance with local and export regulations.
• Prepare technical documentation including TDS, product specifications and SAP master data.
• Present technical results and project updates to internal stakeholders.

Job Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Food Technology or related discipline

Minimum 3–5 years of experience in R&D within:

• UHT products
• Plant-based beverages, creams, or emulsified systems

Strong knowledge of:

• Emulsion systems
• Stabilizers and hydrocolloids
• Interaction between plant proteins and thermal processing
• Oils and fats chemistry
• Good understanding of UHT processing (direct or indirect systems) and homogenization
• Experience with pilot plant operations and industrial scale-up
• Experience in experiments design and data analysis

Skills