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Assistant Manager, COE Ingredient Specialist

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This job is an Assistant Manager focusing on ingredient science in beverage production. You might like this job because you’ll ensure flavors and textures in drinks are spot on, improving product quality while collaborating with various teams.

Undisclosed

Glenmarie, Selangor

Job Description

Job Responsibilities: 

1. Governance, Review & Recommendation

  • Review and recommend on ingredient-related proposals, validations, pilots, and deliverables submitted by Squads.
  • Assess whether ingredient-related recommendations are technically sound, suitable for intended application, and commercially practical.
  • Support the development of stronger COE governance mechanisms, including future technical sign-off or veto authority where required.
  • Ensure ingredient decisions are not based only on supplier narratives, trend pressure, or cost-first logic without sufficient technical grounding.

2. Ingredient Science & Functional Understanding

  • Build and maintain strong technical understanding of ingredient behavior in finished product systems.
  • Evaluate how ingredient composition and interaction influence flavor and aroma expression, sweetness profile, mouthfeel and texture, stability and separation risk, visual presentation, compatibility with other ingredients, process tolerance, shelf-life implications, and consistency in finished application.
  • Cover ingredient systems across syrups, powders, sauces, inclusions, plant-based, dairy-related, and functional ingredients.

3. Bridge Between Ingredient and Beverage Application

  • Translate raw ingredient understanding into practical beverage and finished product application.
  • Act as the bridge between ingredient science and end-cup product performance.
  • Ensure ingredients selected can deliver intended sensory profile, operational practicality, and repeatability at commercial scale.
  • Support stronger alignment between formulation logic and customer-facing product outcome.

4. Validation Framework & Standards

  • Build and maintain ingredient evaluation frameworks and technical review criteria.
  • Ensure frameworks cover technical suitability, functional performance, sensory contribution, compatibility within finished systems, operational practicality, scalability, stability, and technical risk.
  • Support ingredient validation, reformulation reviews, vendor submissions, and technical assessment processes.

5. Problem Solving & Risk Reduction

  • Identify and assess ingredient-related risks such as instability, incompatibility, inconsistent performance, and formulation failure.
  • Support root cause analysis when ingredient behavior contributes to pilot failure, product inconsistency, or customer complaints.
  • Recommend preventive actions and technical improvements to improve first-time-right outcomes.

6. Cross-Functional Collaboration

  • Work closely with Squad, R&D, QA, Supply Chain, Operations, and suppliers to align ingredient-related decisions with business and technical realities.
  • Contribute to stronger ways of working between sourcing, product development, and final application quality.
  • Support capability-building and future team development within COE.

7.Key Success Measures

  • Improvement in pilot success rate for ingredient-related projects.
  • Reduction in ingredient-related complaints, technical failures, and reformulation rework
  • Improvement in finished product consistency and end-cup performance.
  • Improvement in governance quality for ingredient-related reviews and recommendations.
  • Strength of technical standards, evaluation frameworks, and institutional knowledge built

Job Requirements

 Qualification and Experience: 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Chemistry, Biochemistry, Dairy Science, Ingredient Science, or related field
  • 3-6 years of relevant working experience, suitable for Senior Executive / Assistant Manager level
  • Experience in ingredient application, beverage formulation, food science, dairy systems,plant-based systems, flavor systems, or technical ingredient roles
  • Strong understanding of how ingredients function within finished beverage or food systems
  • Ability to translate scientific understanding into practical commercial application
  • Experience in café, beverage, dairy, RTD, foodservice, or related categories is an advantage

 Preferred Competencies

  • Strong scientific discipline and technical rigor
  • Strong pattern recognition across formulation, sensory, and finished application.
  • Ability to challenge assumptions with sound technical reasoning.
  • Practical mindset with commercial awareness.
  • Strong stakeholder management across technical and non-technical teams.
  • Ability to simplify technical science into clear business recommendations

 a Necessity, not a Luxury 


Skills

Cross-Functional Collaboration
Food Science
Problem Solving

Company Benefits

Employee Discount

Enjoy employee discounts on beverage, merchandise, etc at all outlets across Malaysia.

Employee Perk Programmes

Establishment of corporate benefits to offer exclusive discounts or benefits to each employee.

Health and Wellness

Out-patient care and in-patient care are covered for all employee including ongoing wellness programs & activites.

Career Development

Job training and continuing education help to fuel employee career growth.

Extension Leave Benefits

Provide more generous with their leave days. We have more than 6 other types of leave!


Additional Info

Company Activity

Last active - few minutes ago

Career Level

Manager / Team Lead

Job Specialisation


Company Profile

ZUS COFFEE-logo-image

ZUS COFFEE

For many, coffee is a daily need. Specialty coffee, however, is often seen as a luxury, something you treat yourself to only on special occasions.We started ZUS Coffee to change this perception.With the best quality ingredients, high-level coffee brewing technology and innovative business model, we’re evolving the concept of coffee consumption to make specialty coffee affordable for everyone, everyday.a...